Merkel cell

Scheme: Components of the skin with Merkel cells (shown in yellow)

Merkel cells or Merkel corpuscles are special sensory cells in the basal cell layer ( stratum basale ) of the epidermis in vertebrates that act as pressure receptors . They are located individually (in the hairless skin) or in groups (in the hairy skin, then sometimes called Pinkus Iggo tactile disks ) between the basal cells . The Merkel cell is named after the Göttingen anatomist Friedrich Merkel , who discovered the cells in 1875. The complex of Merkel cells and nerve endings is called the Merkel disk .

Merkel cells are among the mechanoreceptors of tactile perception . They adapt slowly and fire predominantly with a frequency proportional to the stimulus intensity, i.e. the pressure strength, which is why they are usually referred to as P receptors or specific SA-I receptors (for slowly adapting ). Since the change in pressure is also registered, they are sometimes classified as PD receptors (for proportional-differential ). An adequate stimulus is pressing the skin at a rate of 0.3 to 3 Hz.

The Merkel cells in mammals are of epithelial origin. They contain cytokeratins , granules containing neuropeptides and short processes. They are also likely to have neurosecretory activity. The Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor, one of the earlier assumed it emanates from the Merkel cells.

literature

• Klaus I. Baumann, Zdenek Halata, Ingrid Moll: The Merkel Cell . Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-00374-6 .
• SM Maricich, SA Wellnitz, AM Nelson, DR Lesniak, GJ Gerling, EA Lumpkin, HY Zoghbi: Merkel cells are essential for light-touch responses. In: Science . Volume 324, Number 5934, June 2009, pp. 1580-1582, ISSN  1095-9203 . doi: 10.1126 / science.1172890 . PMID 19541997 . PMC 2743005 (free full text).
• Z. Halata, M. Grim, KI Bauman: Friedrich Sigmund Merkel and his "Merkel cell", morphology, development, and physiology: review and new results. In: The Anatomical Record Part A: Discoveries in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology . Volume 271, Number 1, March 2003, pp. 225-239, ISSN  1552-4884 . doi: 10.1002 / ar.a.10029 . PMID 12552639 . (Review).

Web links

• Electron microscopic images of a Merkel cell
• Medical illustration: Merkel cell
• Description of Merkel cell carcinoma

Individual evidence

1. ↑ F. Merkel: tactile cells and tactile bodies in domestic animals and in humans. In: Arch Mikrosc Anat. 11, 1875, pp. 636-652.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Animal and Human Physiology: An introductory textbook , Werner A. Müller, page 322, accessed August 3, 2017
3. ↑ Skin senses (presentation) ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Knut Drewing, accessed August 3, 2017 
4. ↑ KM Morrison, GR Miesegaes, EA Lumpkin, SM Maricich: Mammalian Merkel cells are descended from the epidermal lineage. In: Developmental biology. Volume 336, Number 1, December 2009, pp. 76-83, ISSN  1095-564X . doi: 10.1016 / j.ydbio.2009.09.032 . PMID 19782676 . PMC 2783667 (free full text).