rat merkel cells are mechanoreceptors and osmoreceptors老鼠默克尔细胞的机械和嗅觉感受器.pdfVIP

Rat Merkel Cells Are Mechanoreceptors and Osmoreceptors 1,2. 1. 1 1 2 Nicholas Boulais , Jean-Pierre Pennec , Nicolas Lebonvallet , Ulysse Pereira , Nathalie Rougier , 1 ´ 2 1 Germaine Dorange , Christophe Chesne , Laurent Misery * ´ 1 University of Brest, European University of Brittany, Laboratory on Nervous Factors and Tissular Structure, EA4326, CHU, Brest, France, 2 Biopredic International, Rennes, France Abstract Merkel cells (MCs) associated with nerve terminals constitute MC-neurite complexes, which are involved in slowly-adapting type I mechanoreception. Although MCs are known to express voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and hypotonic-induced membrane deformation is known to lead to Ca2+ transients, whether MCs initiate mechanotransduction is currently unknown. To answer to this question, rat MCs were transfected with a reporter vector, which enabled their identification. Their properties were investigated through electrophysiological studies. Voltage-gated K+, Ca2+ and Ca2+-activated K+ (KCa) channels were identified, as previously described. Here, we also report the activation of Ca2+ channels by histamine and their inhibition by acetylcholine. As a major finding, we demonstrated that direct mechanical stimulations induced strong inward Ca2+ currents in MCs. Depolarizations were dependent on the strength and the length of the stimulation. Moreover, touch-evoked currents w