| First Author | Szeder V | Year | 2003 |
| Journal | Dev Dyn | Volume | 228 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 623-9 |
| PubMed ID | 14648839 | Mgi Jnum | J:86789 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:2682096 | Doi | 10.1002/dvdy.10403 |
| Citation | Szeder V, et al. (2003) Neurotrophin-3 signaling in mammalian Merkel cell development. Dev Dyn 228(4):623-9 |
| abstractText | Merkel cells are sensory cells of neural crest origin. Because little is known about the mechanisms that direct their differentiation, we have investigated the potential role of a candidate regulatory factor, neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). At embryonic day 16.5 (E 16.5), neither NT-3 nor its primary receptors, TrkC and p75NTR are expressed by Merkel cells in the murine whisker. At the time of birth, however, Merkel cells are immunoreactive for NT-3, TrkC and p75NTR. In TrkC null and NT-3 null mice, Merkel cells differentiate initially, but undergo apoptosis perinatally. These results show that NT-3 signaling is not required for the differentiation of Merkel cells, but that it is essential for their postnatal survival. |
