Dermal appendage-dependent patterning of zebrafish atoh1a+ Merkel cells

Touch system function requires precise interactions between specialized skin cells and somatosensory axons, as exemplified by the vertebrate mechanosensory Merkel cell-neurite complex. Development and patterning of Merkel cells and associated neurites during skin organogenesis remain poorly understo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2023-01, Vol.12
Main Authors: Brown, Tanya L, Horton, Emma C, Craig, Evan W, Goo, Camille E A, Black, Erik C, Hewitt, Madeleine N, Yee, Nathaniel G, Fan, Everett T, Raible, David W, Rasmussen, Jeffrey P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin
Animals
Axons
Cell density
Cell differentiation
Cells
Cytology
Danio rerio
Developmental Biology
Ectodysplasin
Embryonic development
Embryos
Epidermis
Fgf8
Homeostasis
Keratin
Keratinocytes
Mammals
Merkel Cells
Muscle proteins
Neuroscience
Organogenesis
Pattern formation
Skin
somatosensory neuron
touch
Transmission electron microscopy
Vertebrates
Zebrafish
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Touch system function requires precise interactions between specialized skin cells and somatosensory axons, as exemplified by the vertebrate mechanosensory Merkel cell-neurite complex. Development and patterning of Merkel cells and associated neurites during skin organogenesis remain poorly understood, partly due to the in utero development of mammalian embryos. Here, we discover Merkel cells in the zebrafish epidermis and identify Atonal homolog 1a (Atoh1a) as a marker of zebrafish Merkel cells. We show that zebrafish Merkel cells derive from basal keratinocytes, express neurosecretory and mechanosensory machinery, extend actin-rich microvilli, and complex with somatosensory axons, all hallmarks of mammalian Merkel cells. Merkel cells populate all major adult skin compartments, with region-specific densities and distribution patterns. In vivo photoconversion reveals that Merkel cells undergo steady loss and replenishment during skin homeostasis. Merkel cells develop concomitant with dermal appendages along the trunk and loss of Ectodysplasin signaling, which prevents dermal appendage formation, reduces Merkel cell density by affecting cell differentiation. By contrast, altering dermal appendage morphology changes the distribution, but not density, of Merkel cells. Overall, our studies provide insights into touch system maturation during skin organogenesis and establish zebrafish as an experimentally accessible in vivo model for the study of Merkel cell biology.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.85800