Human Merkel cells as the initiator of mechanotransduction in skin: Linking the animal model to humans

Merkel cells (MCs) are required for light touch responses, and they form MC –neurite complexes with slowly adapting type I (SAI) fibers (Maricich et al., 2009). Recently, MC-Piezo2 signaling was reported to not only act as a touch detector but also to suppress itch circuitry in the spinal cord using the dry skin mouse model (Feng et al., 2018), which has shed light on pot ential new clinical and therapeutic approaches for a part of mechanical itch (Sakai& Akiyama, 2020). However, it is still unclear how well the properties of MCs align between animals and humans.

Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - April 10, 2024 Category: Dermatology Authors: Saito Sakaguchi, Moe Tsutsumi, Shinsuke Akita, Masashi Konyo, Kentaro Kajiya Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research