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Sebocyte
Make it clearer
The sebocyte is the main cell of the sebaceous gland, the gland that produces the oil covering the skin. There is something odd about its line of work: although it is epithelial in origin, meaning it comes from the tissue that lines surfaces, it spends its time making and transforming lipids, a job that belongs to adipocytes, the fat cells.
The way it delivers its product is stranger still, and it has a name: holocrine secretion. The sebocyte destroys itself on purpose. The youngest ones, the least differentiated, stay in the outer layers of the gland; as they move toward the center they fill up with lipids; and once in the center they undergo apoptosis, programmed cell death, and let go of everything they were carrying. The cell is both the container and the contents: to deliver, it has to break open.
That whole process, from synthesis to discharge, takes about a week. And what ends up being released is sebum.
In brief
The sebocyte is the sebaceous gland's primary cellular unit and, despite its epithelial origin, synthesizes and metabolizes lipids, a job normally reserved for adipocytes.
Secretion is holocrine: the sebocyte destroys itself on purpose. Less differentiated cells sit on the outside and fill with lipids as they move inward, where they undergo apoptosis and release their contents.
The cell is both the container and the contents: to deliver, it has to break open.
This cycle of synthesis and discharge takes about a week, and what is released is sebum.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Sebaceous Glands, StatPearlsPublished
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