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Science 9 October 1981:
Vol. 214. no. 4517, pp. 183 - 186
DOI: 10.1126/science.7280690
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Articles

Science, Vol 214, Issue 4517, 183-186
Copyright © 1981 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Merkel cell receptors: structure and transducer function

KM Gottschaldt and C Vahle-Hinz

An electron microscopic and electrophysiological investigation was made of Merkel cell-neurite complexes in the sinus hair follicles of the cat. These mechanoreceptors respond with very precise phase locking to heavy-frequency vibratory stimuli as well as to static hair displacements. The mechanoelectric transduction process is faster than that known for any other somatic mechanoreceptor. These data show that the nerve endings themselves and not the Merkel cells are the mechanoelectric transducer elements in these receptors.


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Protracted Development of Responses to Whisker Deflection in Rat Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons.
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Mechanical Characteristics of Rat Vibrissae: Resonant Frequencies and Damping in Isolated Whiskers and in the Awake Behaving Animal.
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Molecular Basis of Mechanotransduction in Living Cells.
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New Approaches And Concepts in The Study of Differentiation of Oral Epithelia.
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Identification of Merkel Cells in Oral Epithelium Using Antikeratin and Antineuroendocrine Monoclonal Antibodies.
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Journal of Dental Research 66, 1154-1158
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Biochemical Basis of Touch Perception: Mechanosensory Function of Degenerin/Epithelial Na+ Channels.
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