Mechanism of Meissner corpuscle function

躯体感觉对日常生活至关重要。包括人类在内的许多脊椎动物都利用触觉来 在环境中导航，操纵工具和物体，寻找食物和执行各种机械任务。关键 位于皮肤中的躯体感觉小体对这种能力起作用。在这份提案中，我们关注的是迈斯纳 小体，这是必不可少的执行精细的触觉任务，由于他们的能力，检测瞬态机械 刺激。尽管迈斯纳小体对躯体感觉很重要，但其功能机制是 未知触觉小体位于许多脊椎动物的皮肤中，由相互接触的板层细胞组成 与神经机械感受器相连机械感受器被认为是神经元内的关键感觉元件。 细胞的功能尚不清楚。在本提案中，我们将对 迈斯纳板层细胞是触觉的主动探测器。为此，我们将使用比尔皮肤的触觉 专门的鸭子，其中含有高密度的迈斯纳小体，可用于实验 操纵我们将研究触觉敏感性的分子机制在迈斯纳板层细胞，研究 它们与神经元机械感受器的相互作用，并研究它们在躯体感觉生理学中的作用。我们将 采用综合方法，包括神经生理学，生物物理学和成像。从这个基本的结果 科学建议将提供脊椎动物皮肤中躯体感觉过程的机械见解。

Somatosensation is essential for everyday life. Many vertebrates, including humans, use the sense of touch to navigate in the environment, manipulate tools and objects, find food and perform various mechanical tasks. Key to this ability are somatosensory corpuscles located in the skin. In this proposal, we focus on Meissner corpuscles, which are essential for performing fine tactile tasks due to their ability to detect transient mechanical stimuli. Despite their importance for somatosensation, the mechanism of Meissner corpuscle function is unknown. Meissner corpuscles are located in the skin of many vertebrates, and consist of lamellar cells in contact with a neuronal mechanoreceptor. The mechanoreceptor is thought to be the key sensory element within the corpuscle, whereas the function of lamellar cells is unknown. In this proposal, we will functionally test the hypothesis that Meissner lamellar cells are active detectors of touch. To do this, we will use bill skin of tactile specialist ducks, which contains a high density of Meissner corpuscles accessible for experimental manipulations. We will investigate the molecular mechanism of touch sensitivity in Meissner lamellar cells, study their interaction with neuronal mechanoreceptor, and investigate their role in somatosensory physiology. We will employ an integrative approach, including neurophysiology, biophysics and imaging. Results from this basic scientific proposal will provide mechanistic insights into the process of somatosensation in vertebrate skin.