| Definition: |
The layer of cuticle most closely apposed to the hypodermal cells. The morphology of the basal layer varies with life stage. In adult C. elegans animals, the basal layers is comprised of three sublayers: two fibrous layers whose fibers run in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions meeting one another at a 60 degree angle, and an amorphous basal layer that lies underneath the fibrous layers and directly contacts the hypodermis. In C. elegans dauer and L1 larval stage animals, the basal layer is characterized by a striated pattern that appears to derive from interwoven laminae. An example of this component is found in Caenorhabditis elegans. |