LIEN-Laboratoire Interactions Epithélium Neurones, Brest University, F-29200 Brest, France.
Department of Dermatology, Brest University Hospital, F-29200 Brest, France.
Cells. 2022 Nov 29;11(23):3827. doi: 10.3390/cells11233827.
Merkel cells (MCs) are rare multimodal epidermal sensory cells. Due to their interactions with slowly adapting type 1 (SA1) Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptor (Aβ-LTMRs) afferents neurons to form Merkel complexes, they are considered to be part of the main tactile terminal organ involved in the light touch sensation. This function has been explored over time by , , , and approaches. studies have made it possible to characterize the topography, morphology, and cellular environment of these cells. The interactions of MCs with surrounding cells continue to be studied by but also in vitro approaches. Indeed, in vitro models have improved the understanding of communication of MCs with other cells present in the skin at the cellular and molecular levels. As for methods, the sensory role of MC complexes can be demonstrated by observing physiological or pathological behavior after genetic modification in mouse models. models are emerging and aim to elucidate the sensory coding mechanisms of these complexes. The different methods to study MC complexes presented in this review may allow the investigation of their involvement in other physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms, despite the difficulties in exploring these cells, in particular due to their rarity.
默克尔细胞 (MCs) 是罕见的多模态表皮感觉细胞。由于它们与缓慢适应型 1 (SA1) Aβ 低阈值机械感受器 (Aβ-LTMRs) 传入神经元相互作用，形成默克尔复合体，因此被认为是参与轻触感觉的主要触觉终末器官的一部分。这一功能已经通过形态学、生理学和遗传学方法得到了探索。形态学研究使得有可能对这些细胞的拓扑结构、形态和细胞环境进行特征描述。MCs 与周围细胞的相互作用还在通过体内和体外方法进行研究。事实上，体外模型提高了对 MCs 与皮肤中其他细胞在细胞和分子水平上的通讯的理解。至于遗传学方法，可以通过观察小鼠模型中基因修饰后的生理或病理行为来证明 MC 复合体的感觉作用。体内模型正在出现，并旨在阐明这些复合体的感觉编码机制。本文综述中介绍的研究 MC 复合体的不同方法，可能允许研究它们在其他生理和病理生理机制中的作用，尽管探索这些细胞存在困难，特别是由于它们的稀有性。
