Sensory innervation of the human male prepuce: Meissner's corpuscles predominate
Autor
García-Mesa, Yolanda
García-Piqueras, Jorge
Cobo, Ramón
Martín-Cruces, José
Suazo, Iván
García-Suárez, Olivia
Feito, Jorge
Vega, Jose Antonio
Resumen
Meissner's corpuscles are the most abundant sensory corpuscles in the glabrous skin of the male prepuce. They are type I, rapidly adapting, low-threshold mechanoreceptors, and their function is linked to the expression of the mechanoprotein piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2 (PIEZO2). Stimulation of genital Meissner's corpuscles gives rise to sexual sensations. It has been recently demonstrated that digital Meissner's corpuscles, Meissner-like corpuscles, and genital end bulbs have an endoneurium-like capsule surrounding their neuronal elements; that is, the axon and glial lamellar cells, and their axons, display PIEZO2 immunoreactivity. It is unknown whether this is also the case for preputial Meissner's corpuscles. Furthermore, the expression of certain proteins that have been found in Meissner's corpuscles at other anatomical locations, especially in the digits, has not been investigated in preputial Meissner's corpuscles. Here, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of axonal (neurofilament, neuron-specific enolase), glial (S100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin), endoneurial (CD34), and perineurial (glucose transporter 1) markers in the preputial and digital Meissner's corpuscles of male participants aged between 5 and 23 years. Furthermore, we investigated the occurrence of the mechanoprotein PIEZO2 in male preputial Meissner's corpuscles. Human male prepuce contains numerous Meissner's corpuscles, which may be grouped or isolated and are regularly distributed in the dermal papillae. Lamellar glial cells display strong expression of S100 protein and vimentin but lack expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein. In addition, they show axonal PIEZO2 expression and have an endoneurial capsule, but no perineurial. Our results indicate that human male preputial Meissner's corpuscles share the immunohistochemical profile of digital Meissner's corpuscles, which is considered to be necessary for mechanotransduction. These data strongly suggest that the structure and function of Meissner's corpuscles are independent of their anatomical location.
Colecciones
Ítems relacionados
Mostrando ítems relacionados por Título, autor o materia.
-
Article
Glans clitoris innervation: PIEZO2 and sexual mechanosensitivity (2020)
García-Mesa, Yolanda; Cárcaba, Lucía; Coronado, César A.; Cobo, Ramón; Martín-Cruces, José; García-Piqueras, Jorge; Feito, Jorge; García-Suárez, Olivia; Vega, Jose Antonio (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2020-09-29)The clitoris is a leading player in female sexual arousal, if not the main protagonist. Despite this role, studies performed on this structure with specific neuroanatomical techniques are few. This study focuses on glans ... -
Article
Synaptophysin is a selective marker for axons in human cutaneous end organ complexes (2024)
García-Mesa, Yolanda; García-Piqueras, Jorge; Cuendias, Patricia; Cobo, Ramón; Martín-Cruces, José; Feito, Jorge; García-Suarez, Olivia; Biedma, Benjamín Martín; Vega, J.A. (Elsevier GmbH, 2022)Background: Small clear synaptic-like vesicles fill axon terminals of mechanoreceptors. Their functional significance is controversial and probably includes release of neurotransmitters from afferent axon terminals. ... -
Article
Verification and characterisation of human digital Ruffini’s sensory corpuscles (2020)
Cobo, Ramón; García‐Mesa, Yolanda; Cárcaba, Lucía; Martin‐Cruces, José; Feito, Jorge; García‐Suárez, Olivia; Cobo, Juan; García‐Piqueras, Jorge; Vega, José A. (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2020-08-31)Ruffini's corpuscles are present as long fusiform encapsulated sensory structures in different tissues including the skin. Although physiological analyses strongly suggest their existence in glabrous digital skin, such ...