
Rete pegs (also known as rete processes or rete ridges) are the
epithelial extensions that project into the underlying connective tissue in both
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
and
mucous membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...
s.
In the epithelium of the mouth, the
attached gingiva exhibit rete pegs, while the
sulcular[Itoiz, ME; Carranza, FA: The Gingiva. In Newman, MG; Takei, HH; Carranza, FA; editors: ''Carranza’s Clinical Periodontology'', 9th Edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2002. pages 23.] and
junctional epithelia do not.
[Page, RC; Schroeder, HE. "Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Periodontal Disease: A Summary of Current Work." ''Lab Invest'' 1976;34(3):235-249] Scar tissue lacks rete pegs and scars tend to shear off more easily than normal tissue as a result.
Also known as ''papillae'', they are downward thickenings of the
epidermis
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...
between the
dermal papillae.
References
{{Reflist
Dermatology