ArticleJournal of oral biosciences2026
Choline acetyltransferase as a marker for Merkel cells in mucosal and skin tissues.
Article in Journal of oral biosciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme responsible for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis, in Merkel cells in hairy and glabrous skin, including whiskers, palms, and oral mucosa, and to evaluate whether ChAT is a general molecular marker for Merkel cells that could indicate a potential cholinergic role in mechanosensory signaling.
methodsImmunofluorescence staining was performed on skin and oral epithelial tissues of ChAT-tau-enhanced green fluorescent protein (ChAT-eGFP) transgenic mice. Co-expression of ChAT-eGFP and the Merkel cell marker, keratin 8 (KRT8), was analyzed to identify ChAT
resultsMerkel cells consistently co-expressed ChAT-eGFP and KRT8 in skin and mucosal tissues, and they were organized into characteristic clusters, closely associated with nerve fibers. There was also ChAT expression in taste-related structures and cholinergic epithelial cells. In aged mice, Merkel cell count in the palate was significantly reduced, particularly in anterior rugae.
conclusionsThis study identified ChAT as a novel and general marker for Merkel cells in skin and oral tissues, revealing a previously unrecognized cholinergic component of Merkel cell signaling. These findings suggest a potential role of ACh in mechanotransduction and tactile sensation. By establishing ChAT as a Merkel cell marker, this study provides new insights into somatosensory biology and provides a molecular framework for exploring cholinergic mechanisms in tactile perception. These findings may inform therapeutic strategies for sensory disorders of skin and oral mucosa.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.