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PMID: 27829145 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Piezo1 Channels Are Inherently Mechanosensitive.

Cell reports ·Vol. 17 ·No. 7 ·2016-00-08 ·Pages 1739-1746

Syeda R, Florendo MN, Cox CD, Kefauver JM, Santos JS, Martinac B, Patapoutian A

Abstract

The conversion of mechanical force to chemical signals is critical for many biological processes, including the senses of touch, pain, and hearing. Mechanosensitive ion channels play a key role in sensing the mechanical stimuli experienced by various cell types and are present in organisms from bacteria to mammals. Bacterial mechanosensitive channels are characterized thoroughly, but less is known about their counterparts in vertebrates. Piezos have been recently established as ion channels required for mechanotransduction in disparate cell types in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of Piezos in heterologous cells gives rise to large mechanically activated currents; however, it is unclear whether Piezos are inherently mechanosensitive or rely on alternate cellular components to sense mechanical stimuli. Here, we show that mechanical perturbations of the lipid bilayer alone are sufficient to activate Piezo channels, illustrating their innate ability as molecular force transducers.

Keywords
Piezo1 lipid bilayer mechanosensitive ion channel mechanotransduction membrane asymmetry membrane tension
MeSH Terms
Animals Ion Channel Gating Ion Channels/metabolism Lipid Bilayers/metabolism Lipid Droplets/metabolism Mechanotransduction, Cellular Mice Osmosis Solvents
Chemicals
Ion Channels Lipid Bilayers Piezo1 protein, mouse Solvents
Authors & Affiliations
7 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Syeda Ruhma
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: ruhma@scripps.edu.
Florendo Maria N
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Cox Charles D
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Lowy Packer Building, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
Kefauver Jennifer M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Santos Jose S
Section of Neurobiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Martinac Boris
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Lowy Packer Building, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
Patapoutian Ardem
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Conflict of Interest

Author Information: The authors declare no competing interests.

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Article Info
Journal
Cell reports
Abbr.
Cell Rep
ISSN
2211-1247
DOI
10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.033
Email
ruhma@scripps.edu
Published
2016-00-08
Pages
1739-1746
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
101573691
PMCID
PMC5129625
Subset
IM
Grants
NINDS NIH HHS · R01 NS083174 · United States
Howard Hughes Medical Institute · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.033 PMC Full Text View journal details
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