Dissection of Merkel cell formation in hairy and glabrous skin reveals a common requirement for FGFR2-mediated signalling.

ABSTRACT: Merkel cells are mechanosensory cells involved in tactile discrimination. Merkel cells have been primarily studied in the murine back skin, where they are found in specialized structures called touch domes located around primary hair follicles. Yet, little is known about the morphogenesis of Merkel cells in areas of the skin devoid of hair, such as the glabrous paw skin. Here, we describe Merkel cell formation in the glabrous paw skin during embryogenesis. We first found in the glabrous paw skin that Merkel cells were specified at E15.5, 24 hours later, compared to in the back skin. Additionally, by performing lineage-tracing experiments, we found that unlike in the back skin, SOX9(+) cells do not give rise to Merkel cells in the glabrous paw skin. Finally, we compared the transcriptomes o

SUBMITTER: Nguyen MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6488392 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature