What are the characteristics of melanocytes?

Melanocytes are highly differentiated cells which produce a pigment melanin inside melanosomes. These cells are dark in nature and dendritic in shape. All melanocytes migrate from a region known as the neural crest. Each epidermal melanocyte dendrites are utilized to transfer pigment granules to neighboring epidermal cells. Melanocytes are found within the basal layer of the epidermis, hair follicles, and the inner ear. They have dark-staining nuclei that are typically smaller in size than those of surrounding basal keratinocytes. They also have a clear halo of cytoplasm, which is an artifact of tissue processing. They are also difficult to visualize on hematoxylin-eosin stained slides. Melanocytes typically make up one out of ten cells in the basal layer but may be more abundant in skin that has been consistently exposed to UV light. Melanin produced by the melanocyte is of two types: dark brown eumelanin and pale red or yellow pheomelanin. Both are formed within melanocytes through the initial oxidation tyrosine with the help of tyrosinase.