Schwann Cells Tune Touch Sensitivity in Pacinian Corpuscles

Credit: Bo-Yu Chen (Lee lab)

Pacinian corpuscles are specialized vibration sensors embedded deep in the skin, finely tuned to detect high-frequency stimuli like a buzzing phone or distant machinery. These sensory structures were long believed to rely solely on nerve endings. However, new research reveals that Schwann cells—the principal glia of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)—also play an active role in shaping touch responses.

In a collaborative study between Kuo-Sheng Lee’s lab at Academia Sinica and Daniel Huber’s lab at the University of Geneva, researchers focused on lamellar Schwann cells, which form the distinctive layered capsule surrounding the sensory axon. To study their structure in detail, the team employed volume electron microscopy (volume EM), enabling high-resolution 3D reconstructions of individual Schwann cells.

By combining this anatomical data with in vivo electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic stimulation, the researchers found that Schwann cells respond directly to mechanical input and modulate the neuronal response. This demonstrates that non-neuronal cells in touch organs can dynamically shape mechanosensory processing.

The study redefines how we understand the cellular machinery of touch and opens new avenues for bio-inspired technologies and sensory disorder research.

Read the full paper here:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt5110

Key Points:

• Pacinian corpuscles detect vibration through the combined actions of neurons and Schwann cells.

• Lamellar Schwann cells, the principal glia of the PNS, respond to mechanical input and influence nerve activity.

• Researchers used volume electron microscopy (volume EM) to reconstruct individual Schwann cells in 3D.

• Work by Lee Lab and Huber Lab reveals a new layer of complexity in touch processing.