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The development of human digital Meissner's and Pacinian corpuscles.
J Feito1, O García-Suárez2, J García-Piqueras2
1Departamento de Morfología y Biología Celular, Grupo SINPOS, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain; Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Salamanca, Spain.
Summary
Human touch receptors, Meissner
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Cutaneous sensory receptors
Background:
- Meissner's and Pacinian corpuscles are key mechanoreceptors for touch sensation.
- The developmental timeline and immunohistochemical maturation of these receptors in humans are not well understood.
- Understanding their development is crucial for correlating sensory function with neurological maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of human digital Meissner's and Pacinian corpuscles.
- To characterize the acquisition of their mature immunohistochemical profiles.
- To correlate morphological and immunohistochemical maturation with developmental stages.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a panel of antibodies to label axonal, Schwann-related, and surrounding cell types.
- Examined digital corpuscle development from 11 weeks gestational age to adulthood.
- Analyzed immunohistochemical markers and morphological changes throughout development.
Main Results:
- Pacinian corpuscle development begins at 13 weeks gestational age, with basic structure by 36 weeks.
- Meissner's corpuscle development starts at 22 weeks gestational age, completing maturation by 8 months post-birth.
- Demonstrated asynchronous development and a lack of complete correlation between morphological and immunohistochemical maturity.
Conclusions:
- Human Meissner's and Pacinian corpuscles exhibit distinct and asynchronous developmental timelines.
- Morphological maturation does not perfectly align with immunohistochemical profile acquisition.
- Findings provide insights into the developmental basis of tactile sensory function in humans.