Merkel cells are essential for light-touch responses
| Autor: | Ellen A. Lumpkin, Huda Y. Zoghbi, Daine R. Lesniak, Stephen M. Maricich, Scott A. Wellnitz, Gregory J. Gerling, Aislyn M. Nelson |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: |
ATOH1
Male animal structures Neurite Sensory receptor Somatosensory system Article Merkel Cells Merkel nerve ending Mice Skin Physiological Phenomena medicine Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors Animals Receptor skin and connective tissue diseases Skin Mice Knockout Multidisciplinary biology integumentary system Foot virus diseases Anatomy Mice Inbred C57BL medicine.anatomical_structure Touch Peripheral nervous system biology.protein Female Merkel cell Neuroscience |
| Zdroj: | Science (New York, N.Y.). 324(5934) |
| ISSN: | 1095-9203 |
| Popis: | Mysterious Merkel cells Anatomists have known about the existence of Merkel cells in our skin for over a century. However, the function of these cells has been unclear and controversial. To solve this mystery, Maricich et al. (p. 1580 ) created a genetic deletion of Merkel cells. When Atoh1, a transcription factor expressed by Merkel cells, was conditionally deleted in the skin, Merkel cells were completely absent from Atoh1CKO mice. Using ex vivo skin and nerve preparations from the animals showed that Merkel cells are needed to properly encode light touch sensation in the skin. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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