TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic Identification of an Expansive Mechanoreceptor Sensitive to Skin Stroking
AU - Bai, Ling
AU - Lehnert, Brendan P.
AU - Liu, Junwei
AU - Neubarth, Nicole L.
AU - Dickendesher, Travis L.
AU - Nwe, Pann H.
AU - Cassidy, Colleen
AU - Woodbury, C. Jeffery
AU - Ginty, David D.
PY - 2015/12/17
Y1 - 2015/12/17
N2 - Touch perception begins with activation of low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) in the periphery. LTMR terminals exhibit tremendous morphological heterogeneity that specifies their mechanical receptivity. In a survey of mammalian skin, we found a preponderance of neurofilament-heavy-chain+ circumferential endings associated with hair follicles, prompting us to develop a genetic strategy to interrogate these neurons. Targeted in vivo recordings revealed them to be Aβ field-LTMRs, identified 50 years ago but largely elusive thereafter. Remarkably, while Aβ field-LTMRs are highly sensitive to gentle stroking of the skin, they are unresponsive to hair deflection, and they encode skin indentation in the noxious range across large, spotty receptive fields. Individual Aβ field-LTMRs form up to 180 circumferential endings, making them the most anatomically expansive LTMR identified to date. Thus, Aβ field-LTMRs are a major mammalian LTMR subtype that forms circumferential endings in hairy skin, and their sensitivity to gentle skin stroking arises through integration across many low-sensitivity circumferential endings.
AB - Touch perception begins with activation of low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) in the periphery. LTMR terminals exhibit tremendous morphological heterogeneity that specifies their mechanical receptivity. In a survey of mammalian skin, we found a preponderance of neurofilament-heavy-chain+ circumferential endings associated with hair follicles, prompting us to develop a genetic strategy to interrogate these neurons. Targeted in vivo recordings revealed them to be Aβ field-LTMRs, identified 50 years ago but largely elusive thereafter. Remarkably, while Aβ field-LTMRs are highly sensitive to gentle stroking of the skin, they are unresponsive to hair deflection, and they encode skin indentation in the noxious range across large, spotty receptive fields. Individual Aβ field-LTMRs form up to 180 circumferential endings, making them the most anatomically expansive LTMR identified to date. Thus, Aβ field-LTMRs are a major mammalian LTMR subtype that forms circumferential endings in hairy skin, and their sensitivity to gentle skin stroking arises through integration across many low-sensitivity circumferential endings.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84950296054&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84950296054&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.060
DO - 10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.060
M3 - Article
C2 - 26687362
AN - SCOPUS:84950296054
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 163
SP - 1783
EP - 1795
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 7
ER -