Title:Evidence of Nestin-Positive Cells in the Human Cutaneus Meissner and Pacinian Corpuscles
VOLUME: 11 ISSUE: 7
Author(s):Marta Calavia, Eliso Vina, Manuel Menendez-Gonzalez, Alfonso Lopez-Muniz, Marta Alonso-Guervos, Juan Cobo, Jesus Otero, Oscar Arias-Carrion, Jose Antonio Vega and Olivia Garcia-Suarez
Affiliation:Departamento de Morfologia y Biologia Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria 6, Planta 9ª, 33006 OVIEDO, Spain.
Keywords:Nestin, Meissner corpuscles, Pacianian corpuscles, immunohistochemistry, human skin, neural stem cell, neuroepithelial, potential neural stem cell, Schwann cells, therapeutic goals
Abstract:Nestin is an intermediate filament protein expressed in neuroepithelial stem cells during development and it is
later replaced by cell specific neuronal or glial filaments. Nevertheless, nestin+ cells remain within adult tissues and they
can be regarded as potential neural stem cell (NSC). Nestin+ cells have been detected in Schwann cells related with
sensory corpuscles of rodent and they have been demonstrated to be NSC. We have investigated the existence of nestin+ in
human cutaneous cells Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles through the use of immunohistochemistry techniques and in situ
hybridization. S100 protein (also regarded as a marker for NSC) and vimentin (the intermediate filament of mature
Schwann cells in sensory corpuscles) were also investigated. The results show that the adult human cutaneous sensory
Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles contains a small population of Schwann-related cells (vimentin+) which on the basis of
their basic immunohistochemical characteristics (S100 protein+, nestin+) can be potential NSCs. Cells sharing identical
immunohistochemical profile were also found in the close vicinity of Meissner corpuscles. Because their localization they
are easily accessible and may represent a peripheral niche of NSC to be used for therapeutic goals.
