The Human Haarscheibe, Its Structure and Function

Kawamura, Taro; Nishiyama, Shigeo; Ikeda, Shigeo; Tajima, Kimiko

doi:10.1038/jid.1964.17

Cited by 31 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…8,10 Probably because of the low frequency of this end organ 10 and the resulting technological difficulties in studying it in humans, most of our knowledge of touch domes stems from animal studies. Using a novel approach to examine the superficial nervous system in extensive areas of skin, we have succeeded in providing a detailed analysis of touch domes.…”

Section: Pinkusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 In addition, many detailed studies of receptor end organs in glabrous skin have improved our understanding of their anatomical fine structure. 6 In contrast, information on receptor structures in hairy skin [7][8][9][10][11] frequently dates back to the middle of the last century and mostly originates from studies in animals. 7,12,13 In papillary dermis, touch domes, also referred to as Haarscheiben, 14 and free-nerve endings are the only receptor end organs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…18 -20 Because of a lack of appropriate methods to study touch domes, no clear topographic assessment of their structure and nerve supply has been available so far. Indeed, most of our knowledge of this nerve end organ is derived from studies using methylene blue staining 8 and silver impregnation methods.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The touch dome in human skin is supplied by different types of nerve fibers

Reinisch

Tschachler

2005

Annals of Neurology

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Receptor end organs and free-nerve endings in the skin are the peripheral sentinels of the sensorial nervous system encoding for touch, temperature, and pain. Using a novel approach to analyze the outermost nerves of the skin, we visualized for the first time the distinct microanatomical structure of the touch dome of human hairy skin. The dermal nerve fibers of this slowly adapting type 1 mechanoreceptor were embedded in dermal protrusions that could be readily discerned by Laminin-5 staining. Concerning the nerves supplying the touch domes, we found, unexpectedly, that besides Abeta-fibers, Adelta- and C-fibers also were regularly present. The epidermis overlying the nerve convolutes showed a distinctive architecture of the rete ridges clearly demarcated from the surroundings and extending over 0.193 +/- 0.138 mm(2) (mean +/- standard deviation). Within this area, 756 +/- 386 Merkel cells/mm(2) (mean +/- standard deviation) were present compared with less than 50/mm(2) outside the touch dome, demonstrating for the first time a highly discontinuous distribution of these cells in nonglabrous skin. Our findings strongly suggest that the receptive qualities of human touch domes exceed mechanosensation, and that they may serve as multifunctional nerve end organs in human skin.

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Section: Pinkusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 93%

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The touch dome in human skin is supplied by different types of nerve fibers

Reinisch

Tschachler

2005

Annals of Neurology

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“…6,25,27,47 In human skin, TDs can be found in hairy anatomical locations and are characterized by KRT17-expressing specialized keratinocytes located in the lower and middle layers of the epidermis, above the Merkel-neurite complexes. 28,48,49 TD keratinocytes differ from other epidermal keratinocytes and serve as a specialized niche that both regenerates Merkel cells, as well as responsible for maintaining innervation of the Merkel-neurite complexes. 50,51 In recent years, several developmental programmes controlling skin epidermis and hair follicle morphogenesis have also emerged with major roles in the formation of Merkel cells and TD structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epigenetic regulation and signalling pathways in Merkel cell development

Oss-Ronen

Cohen

2021

Experimental Dermatology

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Merkel cells are specialized epithelial cells connected to afferent nerve endings responsible for light-touch sensations, formed at specific locations in touch-sensitive regions of the mammalian skin. Although Merkel cells are descendants of the epidermal lineage, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the development of these unique mechanosensory cells. Recent studies have highlighted that the Polycomb group (PcG) of proteins play a significant role in spatiotemporal regulation of Merkel cell formation. In addition, several of the major signalling pathways involved in skin development have been shown to regulate Merkel cell development as well. Here, we summarize the current understandings of the role of developmental regulators in Merkel cell formation, including the interplay between the epigenetic machinery and key signalling pathways, and the lineage-specific transcription factors involved in the regulation of Merkel cell development.

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“…He discovered distinct epidermal disc-like structures with nerves and ''Tastzellen'' (i.e., Merkel cells) at the base of the epidermis, and named these structures ''Haarscheiben'' because of their close association with hair follicles. These structures were revisited by later investigators (Kamide, 1955;Kawamura et al, 1964). Recent researchers have also reported the histology of the human ''Haarscheiben'' (Moll et al, 2005;Reinisch and Tschachler, 2005), whereas some other investigators showed that Merkel cells Accepted article preview online 4 February 2013; published online 18 April 2013…”

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confidence: 99%