Summary
Cutaneous Merkel cells (MCs) have been well documented in humans, but less in other mammals. In dogs, there are only a few references about immunohistochemical characterization of MCs. We present the immunohistochemical profile of MCs in the dog for the most reliable antibodies used in human medicine. Tissue samples from several locations were obtained from five adult dogs of both sexes and different age and breed, fixed in 10% buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin wax and cut in 3-μm tissue sections. The ABC method was used with different poly- and monoclonal antibodies. Positive immunoreaction was found in MCs of hair follicles, skin and mucosae of several locations in each dog studied for anticytokeratins 8, 18 and 20, anti-neurofilaments, anti-chromogranin A, anti-neuronspecific enolase, and anti-synaptophysin. Immunoreaction was always cytoplasmic with differences in intensity, pattern of intracytoplasmic distribution and reaction type. Other cytokeratins, anti-S 100 protein, anti-vimentin and anti-glial fibrillary acid protein were absent in canine normal MCs.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Cheng Chew SB, Leung PY (1992) Species variability in the expression of met-and leuenkephalin-like immunoreactivity in mammalian Merkel cell dense-core granules. A light-and electron-microscopic immunohistochemical study. Cell Tissue Res 269: 347–351
Cheng Chew SB, Leung PY (1993) CGRP-immunoreactivity in Merkel cells and nonmyelinated nerve plexuses of dog skin. Neuroreport 4: 457–459
Garcia Caballero T, Cuevas J, Gallego R, Rosôn E, Fortaleza J, Beiras A (1989) Synaptophysin-like immunoreactivity in the Merkel cells of pig-snout skin. Ultrastr Pathol 13: 55–61
Gu J, Polack JM, Tapia FJ, Marangos PJ, Pearse AG (1981) Neuron-specific enolase in Merkel cells of mammalian skin: the use of specific antibody as a simple and reliable histologic marker. Am J Pathol 104: 63–68
Hartschuh W, Weihe E, Yanaihara N, Reinecke M (1983) Immunohistochemical localization of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in Merkel cells of various mammals: evidence for a neuromodulator function of the Merkel cell. J Invest Dermatol 81: 361–364
Hartschuh W, Reinecke M, Weihe E, Yanaihara N (1984) VIP-immunoreactivity in the skin of various mammals: immunohistochemical, radioimmunological and experimental evidence for a dual localization in cutaneous nerves and Merkel cells. Peptides 5: 239–245
Hartschuh W, Weihe E, Egner U (1989) Chromogranin A in the mammalian Merkel cell. J Invest Dermatol 93: 641–648
Lundberg JM, Hökfelt T (1983) Coexistence of peptides and classical neurotransmitters. Trends Neurosci 6: 325–333
Merkel F (1875) Tastzellen and Tastkörperchen bei den Hausthieren and beim Menschen. Arch Mikr Anat 11: 636–652
Moll I, Kuhn C, Moll R (1995) Cytokeratin 20 is a general marker of cutaneous Merkel cells while certain neuronal proteins are absent. J Invest Dermatol 104: 910–915
Moll I, Paus R, Moll R (1996) Merkel cells in mouse skin: intermediate filament pattern, localization, and hair cycle-dependent density. J Invest Dermatol 106: 281–286
Narisawa Y, Hashimoto K, Kohda H (1994) Immunohistochemical demonstration of the expression of neurofilament proteins in Merkel cells. Acta Dermato-Venereol 74: 441–443
Ogawa H (2000) Merkel cells: possible mechanoreceptors. In: Suzuki H, Ono T (eds) Merkel cells, Merkel cell carcinoma and neurobiology of the skin. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 83–87
Saurat JH, Mérot Y, Didierjean L, Dahl D (1984) Normal rabbit Merkel cells do not express neurofilament proteins. J Invest Dermatol 82: 641–642
Tachibana T, Yamamoto H, Takahashi N, Kamegai T, Shibanai S, Iseki H, Nawa T (1997) Polymorphism of Merkel cells in the rodent palatine mucosa: immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies. Arch Histol Cytol 60: 379–389
Toyoshima K, Seta Y, Harada H, Toyono T (2000) Morphology and distribution of Merkel cells in some vertebrates. In: Suzuki H, Ono T (eds) Merkel cells, Merkel cell carcinoma and neurobiology of the skin. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 83–87
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ramírez, G.A., Herráez, P., Andrada, M., Fernández, A., Castro, P., de los Monteros, A.E. (2003). Immunohistochemical Characterization of Normal Canine Merkel cells. In: Baumann, K.I., Halata, Z., Moll, I. (eds) The Merkel Cell. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10358-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10358-6_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-05574-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-10358-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive