For a long time, it was believed that nerve cells are connected with each other in a unique, inimitable way. But now it turned out that skin cells "communicate" with each other almost like neurons!
The brain activity signature is a complex, but well-studied process. We know that brain cells transmit information to each other through the release of special chemical compounds - neurotransmitters - that activate branching networks of dendrites of neighboring cells. However, scientists have found that this unique (as previously thought) pattern is not unique to nerve cells.
Scientists have found that a very similar process, under certain circumstances, is observed in the cells … of the skin. A team at Rockefeller University took note of this by studying the interactions between two different types of skin cells: melanocytes, which produce the ultraviolet-absorbing pigment melanin; and keratinocytes, which make up the vast majority of the epidermis, protecting the body from environmental influences, partly through melanin.
Photo of the processes taking place in skin cells.
According to biophysicist Sanford M. Simon, "Keratinocytes twine around melanocytes, forming tight connections that resemble neurons." Indeed, the visual similarity is definitely there. It turned out that chemical signals from keratinocytes trigger signals called calcium transients in the dendrites of melanocytes. Scientists explain that the dendritic morphology of internal processes itself is not such a rare phenomenon. However, they are usually always associated with neurons, while in our case the cells act independently of the nerve tissue.
Apparently, there is a much more complex, deep communication system between skin cells, which the researchers did not even suspect. Who knows if they will soon be able to detect similar patterns in other tissues of our body?
Author: Vasily Makarov