PUBLICATION
Dendritic atoh1a+ cells serve as Merkel cell precursors during skin development and regeneration
- Authors
- Craig, E.W., Black, E.C., Fernandes, S.Z., Ferdous, A.S., Goo, C.E.A., Sargent, S.M., Quitevis, E.J.A., Swearer, A.A., Yee, N.G., Shin, J., Solnica-Krezel, L., Rasmussen, J.P.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-250531-7
- Date
- 2025
- Source
- Development (Cambridge, England) : (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Rasmussen, Jeff, Shin, Jimann, Solnica-Krezel, Lilianna
- Keywords
- Cell motility, Ectodysplasin, Epidermis, Microvilli, Piezo2, Somatosensory system, Tp63, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
- Dendrites*/metabolism
- Skin*/cytology
- Skin*/embryology
- Skin*/growth & development
- Skin*/metabolism
- Regeneration*/physiology
- Keratinocytes/cytology
- Keratinocytes/metabolism
- Merkel Cells*/cytology
- Merkel Cells*/metabolism
- Stem Cells*/cytology
- Stem Cells*/metabolism
- Zebrafish*/embryology
- Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors*/genetics
- Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors*/metabolism
- Pseudopodia/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Cell Movement
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation
- PubMed
- 40446213 Full text @ Development
Citation
Craig, E.W., Black, E.C., Fernandes, S.Z., Ferdous, A.S., Goo, C.E.A., Sargent, S.M., Quitevis, E.J.A., Swearer, A.A., Yee, N.G., Shin, J., Solnica-Krezel, L., Rasmussen, J.P. (2025) Dendritic atoh1a+ cells serve as Merkel cell precursors during skin development and regeneration. Development (Cambridge, England). :.
Abstract
Sensory cells often adopt specific morphologies that aid in the detection of external stimuli. Merkel cells encode gentle touch stimuli in vertebrate skin and adopt a reproducible shape characterized by spiky, actin-rich microvilli that emanate from the cell surface. The mechanism by which Merkel cells acquire this stereotyped morphology from keratinocyte progenitors is unknown. Here, we establish that dendritic Merkel cells (dMCs) express atonal homolog 1a (atoh1a), extend dynamic filopodial processes, and arise in transient waves during zebrafish skin development and regeneration. We find that dMCs share molecular similarities with both basal keratinocytes and Merkel cells, yet display mesenchymal-like behaviors, including local cell motility and proliferation within the epidermis. Furthermore, dMCs can directly adopt the mature, microvilliated Merkel cell morphology through substantial remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Loss of Ectodysplasin A signaling alters the morphology of dMCs and Merkel cells within specific skin regions. Our results show that dMCs represent an intermediate state in the Merkel cell maturation program and identify Ectodysplasin A signaling as a key regulator of Merkel cell morphology.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping