
==== Front
bioRxiv
BIORXIV
bioRxiv
2692-8205
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

10.1101/2024.08.24.609509
preprint
1
Article
Structural and functional dissection of the Pacinian corpuscle reveals an active role of the inner core in touch detection
Ziolkowski Luke H.
Nikolaev Yury A.
Chikamoto Akitoshi
Oda Mai
Feketa Viktor V.
Monedero-Alonso David
Ardasheva Serafima A.
Bae Samuel S.
Xu C. Shan
Pang Song
Gracheva Elena O.
Bagriantsev Sviatoslav N. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6661-3403

26 8 2024
2024.08.24.609509https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2024.08.24.609509
nihpp-2024.08.24.609509.pdf
Summary

Pacinian corpuscles are rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor end-organs that detect transient touch and high-frequency vibration. In the prevailing model, these properties are determined by the outer core, which acts as a mechanical filter limiting static and low-frequency stimuli from reaching the afferent terminal—the sole site of touch detection in corpuscles. Here, we determine the detailed 3D architecture of corpuscular components and reveal their contribution to touch detection. We show that the outer core is dispensable for rapid adaptation and frequency tuning. Instead, these properties arise from the inner core, composed of gap junction-coupled lamellar Schwann cells (LSCs) surrounding the afferent terminal. By acting as additional touch sensing structures, LSCs potentiate mechanosensitivity of the terminal, which detects touch via fast-inactivating ion channels. We propose a model in which Pacinian corpuscle function is mediated by an interplay between mechanosensitive LSCs and the afferent terminal in the inner core.

Highlights

eFIB-SEM reveals detailed 3D architecture of the entire Pacinian (Herbst) corpuscle

Inner, not outer core mediates rapid adaptation and frequency tuning

Afferent terminal detects touch via fast-inactivating ion channels

Mechanosensitive lamellar Schwann cells tune afferent terminal sensitivity to touch
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pmc
