title: Neurotrophin-3 signaling in mammalian Merkel cell development.
abstract: Merkel cells are sensory cells of neural crest origin. Because little is known about the mechanisms that direct their differentiation, we have investigated the potential role of a candidate regulatory factor, neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). At embryonic day 16.5 (E 16.5), neither NT-3 nor its primary receptors, TrkC and p75NTR are expressed by Merkel cells in the murine whisker. At the time of birth, however, Merkel cells are immunoreactive for NT-3, TrkC and p75NTR. In TrkC null and NT-3 null mice, Merkel cells differentiate initially, but undergo apoptosis perinatally. These results show that NT-3 signaling is not required for the differentiation of Merkel cells, but that it is essential for their postnatal survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Szeder
authors.forename: Milos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grim
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kucera
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sieber-Blum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002470:Cell Survival; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018862:Merkel Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000378:metabolism; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000502:physiology*; D020800:Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor; D020812:Receptor, trkC / Q000378:metabolism; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013997:Time Factors; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D020800:Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D020812:Receptor, trkC