Mechanism of touch sensitivity in rapidly-adapting mechanosensory corpuscles

通过身体接触感知世界的能力对所有活着的有机体来说都是必不可少的。在脊椎动物中，短暂的 触觉和振动是由太平洋小体探测到的，但它们的作用机制很差 明白了。环状小体由快速适应的机械感受器传入支配，它检测到 由于机械激活的离子通道的表达而产生的触摸。机械感受器被内部包围 核心细胞，被认为为机械感受器提供辅助的非感官支持。在这里，我们将 从功能上检验太平洋小体的核心细胞是活跃的触觉感受器的假设。我们在寻找 揭示内核细胞触觉敏感性和触觉诱发兴奋性的分子机制，以及 确定内核细胞激活对力感受器功能的影响。为此，我们将使用Bill Skin of 触觉专科鸭子，其中包含高密度的帕西尼亚小体，可用于电生理 操纵。因为太平洋小体存在于大多数脊椎动物的皮肤或内脏中， 包括所有哺乳动物在内，我们的结果将进一步加深我们对一般分子和细胞机制的理解 触觉检测。

The ability to sense the world though physical contact is essential for all living organisms. In vertebrates, transient touch and vibration are detected by Pacinian corpuscles, but the mechanism of their function is poorly understood. Pacinian corpuscles are innervated by rapidly-adapting mechanoreceptor afferents, which detect touch due to expression of mechanically activated ion channels. The mechanoreceptor is surrounded by inner core cells, which are thought to provide auxiliary non-sensory support for the mechanoreceptor. Here, we will functionally test the hypothesis that inner core cells of Pacinian corpuscles are active touch sensors. We seek to reveal the molecular mechanism of touch sensitivity and touch-evoked excitability in inner core cells, and determine the effect of inner core cell activation on mechanoreceptor function. To do this, we will use bill skin of tactile specialist ducks, which contains a high density of Pacinian corpuscles accessible for electrophysiological manipulations. Because Pacinian corpuscles are present in the skin or internal organs of most vertebrates, including all mammals, our results will further our understanding of general molecular and cellular mechanisms of touch detection.