| Merkel cell | |
|---|---|
 Merkel cells (shown in blue) are located in the basal epidermal layer of the skin. | |
| Details | |
| Location | Skin of vertebrates |
| Function | Light touch sensation |
| Identifiers | |
| MeSH | D018862 |
| NeuroLex ID | nifext_87 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Merkel cells, also known as Merkel–Ranvier cells or tactile epithelial cells, are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors essential for light touch sensation and found in the skin of vertebrates. They are abundant in highly sensitive skin like that of the fingertips in humans, and make synaptic contacts with somatosensory afferent nerve fibers. It has been reported that Merkel cells are derived from neural crest cells, though more recent experiments in mammals have indicated that they are epithelial in origin.
Merkel cells functionally resemble the enterochromaffin cell, the mechanosensory cell of the gastrointestinal epithelium.[1]
- ^ Chang W, Kanda H, Ikeda R, Ling J, DeBerry JJ, Gu JG. Merkel disc is a serotonergic synapse in the epidermis for transmitting tactile signals in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Sep 13;113(37): E5491-500. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1610176113.