Merkel cells, also known as Merkel-Ranvier cells or tactile epithelial cells, are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors essential for light touch sensation and found in the skin of vertebrates. They are abundant in highly sensitive skin like that of the fingertips in humans, and make synaptic contacts with somatosensory afferent nerve fibers.
Though it has been reported that Merkel cells are derived from neural crest cells, more recent experiments in mammals have indicated that they are in fact epithelial in origin.
