Question:medium
What constitutes the Malpighian layer of the skin?
What constitutes the Malpighian layer of the skin?
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The two deepest living epidermal layers form it.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Stratum corneum and stratum lucidum
- Stratum corneum and stratum spinosum
- Stratum spinosum and stratum basale
- Stratum basale and stratum granulosum
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Identify which epidermal strata are grouped as the Malpighian (germinative) layer.
Step 2: The Malpighian layer comprises the two deepest living layers of the epidermis, the stratum basale and the stratum spinosum, where keratinocytes are generated and begin maturing.
Step 3: Named after Marcello Malpighi, it is the proliferative zone of the skin; occasional narrower usages refer to just one of these layers, but the accepted pairing is basale and spinosum.
Step 4: The granulosum, lucidum, and corneum are the upper, increasingly keratinized layers and are excluded. Hence the Malpighian layer is the spinosum plus basale.
\[\boxed{\text{Stratum spinosum and stratum basale}}\]
Step 2: The Malpighian layer comprises the two deepest living layers of the epidermis, the stratum basale and the stratum spinosum, where keratinocytes are generated and begin maturing.
Step 3: Named after Marcello Malpighi, it is the proliferative zone of the skin; occasional narrower usages refer to just one of these layers, but the accepted pairing is basale and spinosum.
Step 4: The granulosum, lucidum, and corneum are the upper, increasingly keratinized layers and are excluded. Hence the Malpighian layer is the spinosum plus basale.
\[\boxed{\text{Stratum spinosum and stratum basale}}\]
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