An organotypic culture system of Merkel cells using isolated epidermal sheets.
BACKGROUND
Merkel cells (MCs) exist in the epidermal basal layer, in contact with keratinocytes. This direct contact seems critical for maintaining MCs in vitro.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the effects of nerve cells on the maintenance of MCs within epidermal sheets in a new organotypic culture system of MCs.


METHODS
We developed a new organotypic culture system of MCs, using MC-containing epidermal sheets embedded in collagen gel. To estimate the effects of nerve cells on the maintenance of MCs within the epidermal sheets, we cocultured nerve cells and MC-containing epidermal sheets. In these culture assemblies, cellular behaviour was analysed by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
This culture, even in the absence of neurotrophin (NT)-3 and nerve growth factor (NGF) (which are crucial for MC biology), retained cytokeratin (CK)-20-positive and neuroendocrine granule-containing MCs within the sheets for over 2 weeks. Coculture of MCs with PC-12 nerve cells significantly increased the number of MCs within the epidermal sheets, and the keratinocytes had almost identical expression levels of CK1, CK10, CK14 and the progenitor marker p63 to those produced by keratinocytes in vivo. Uptake of the growth marker bromodeoxyuridine by MCs and levels of NT-3 and NGF in the culture supernatants were undetectable in this system, regardless of the presence or absence of PC-12.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest, first, that direct contact between MCs and keratinocytes may be critical for retaining MCs in vitro; second, that nerve cell-affected maintenance of keratinocyte differentiation, but not NT-3 and NGF, may contribute to MC maintenance; and third, that MCs are not able to grow, at least in our system. Our method would be useful for studying MC biology.
Nagase
K
K
Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Nabeshima, Saga, Japan. 06621006@edu.cc.saga-u.ac.jp
Aoki
S
S
Uchihashi
K
K
Misago
N
N
Shimohira-Yamasaki
M
M
Toda
S
S
Narisawa
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053554:Keratin-20 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018862:Merkel Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016716:PC12 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
D053554:Keratin-20; D020933:Neurotrophin 3