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Epidermal Merkel cells display features of sensory receptor cells. They can make synapse-like contact with afferent nerves. A current study shows how Merkel cells participate in touch responses.
The investigators isolated murine Merkel cells and measured their internal currents. Mechanical displacement of cell membranes of Merkel cells elicited inward-directed “electrical currents.” Channels opened, and calcium ions moved quickly into the cell. Thus, they showed that Merkel cells can transduce touch stimuli into currents in the absence of sensory neurons or keratinocytes and act as sensory end organs. The Merkel cell-neurite complex has two different receptor cell types specialized for two distinct elements of discriminative touch. Merkel ce…