ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2009
Merkel cells are essential for light-touch responses.
Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 156 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
156 citing papers in PubMed.
- Peripheral mechanisms of tactile sensation in fish.Current opinion in neurobiology · 2026Review
- Single cell analysis of developing Merkel cells reveals the emergence of non-coding RNA biotypes as a hallmark of terminal differentiation.Cell death and differentiation · 2026Article
- Massively parallel in-sensor skinomorphic computing.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Dysregulated proteolytic cascades in Netherton syndrome: from molecular pathology to preclinical drug testing.The Journal of pathology · 2026Review
- Choline acetyltransferase as a marker for Merkel cells in mucosal and skin tissues.Journal of oral biosciences · 2026Article
- Platelets Orchestrate a Neuroimmune Axis Driving Cutaneous Inflammation and Itch.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- Piezo2 in Mechanosensory Biology: From Physiological Homeostasis to Disease-Promoting Mechanisms.Cell proliferation · 2026Review
- Pharmacologic reversion of Merkel cell carcinoma via CBP/p300 inhibition.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Tumor virus-induced lineage survival circuit drives Merkel cell carcinogenesis.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025Article
- Multisensory electronic skin with decoupled pressure-temperature-sensing capabilities for similar object recognition.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Merkel cell stimulation in fear and sensory signaling.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Article
- Development and regeneration of Merkel cells.Current topics in developmental biology · 2025Review
- Global inequities in adverse pregnancy outcomes: what can we do?AJOG global reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Tenascin-C expressing touch dome keratinocytes exhibit characteristics of all epidermal lineages.Science advances · 2024Article
- Sensory cells in tunicates: insights into mechanoreceptor evolution.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Review
- Keratinocyte Piezo1 drives paclitaxel-induced mechanical hypersensitivity.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Feline papillomavirus-associated Merkel cell carcinoma: a comparative review with human Merkel cell carcinoma.The Journal of veterinary medical science · 2023Review
- Review of Merkel cell carcinoma with solitary pancreatic metastases mimicking primary neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas.Clinical journal of gastroenterology · 2023Review
96 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The peripheral nervous system detects different somatosensory stimuli, including pain, temperature, and touch. Merkel cell-neurite complexes are touch receptors composed of sensory afferents and Merkel cells. The role that Merkel cells play in light-touch responses has been the center of controversy for over 100 years. We used Cre-loxP technology to conditionally delete the transcription factor Atoh1 from the body skin and foot pads of mice. Merkel cells are absent from these areas in Atoh1(CKO) animals. Ex vivo skin/nerve preparations from Atoh1(CKO) animals demonstrate complete loss of the characteristic neurophysiologic responses normally mediated by Merkel cell-neurite complexes. Merkel cells are, therefore, required for the proper encoding of Merkel receptor responses, suggesting that these cells form an indispensible part of the somatosensory system.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.