Evolutionary Specialization of Tactile Perception in Vertebrates

Schneider, Eve R.; Gracheva, Elena O.; Bagriantsev, Sviatoslav N.

doi:10.1152/physiol.00036.2015

Cited by 45 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 88 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This distinct distribution pattern is apparently conserved in other species with multiple isoforms, as Piezo1 is found in erythrocytes and Piezo2 in Rohon-Beard sensory neurons in zebrafish; Piezo2 expression has also been confirmed in sensory trigeminal ganglion neurons in the star-nosed mole andbirds (with a particular enrichment of Piezo2-expressing neurons in tactile foraging waterfowl) [6, 9–12]. The single Drosophila isoform is found both in sensory tissue (including Type 1 ciliated and Type II multidendritic sensory neurons) and in non-sensory tissue (including hindgut, aorta, and trachea), suggesting Piezos may be less specialized in lower organisms [2].…”

Section: Physiology Of Piezo Mechanotransductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Touch, Tension, and Transduction – The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels

Lewis

Grandl

2017

Trends in Biochemical Sciences

421

381

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 2010, two proteins, Piezo1 and Piezo2, were identified as the long-sought molecular carriers of an excitatory mechanically activated current found in many cells. This discovery has opened the floodgates for studying a vast number of mechanotransduction processes. Over the past six years, groundbreaking research has identified Piezos as ion channels that sense light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow, ruled out roles for Piezos in several other mechanotransduction processes, and revealed the basic structural and functional properties of the channel. Here, we review these findings and discuss the many aspects of Piezo function that remain mysterious, including how Piezos convert a variety of mechanical stimuli into channel activation and subsequent inactivation, and what molecules and mechanisms modulate Piezo function.

show abstract

Section: Physiology Of Piezo Mechanotransductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Touch, Tension, and Transduction – The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels

Lewis

Grandl

2017

Trends in Biochemical Sciences

421

381

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sense of touch is a prime example of mechanotransduction in biology [1–4]. Mechanical stimuli applied to the skin are shaped by tissue properties and converted by somatosensory neurons into currents, which ultimately control perception and behavioral responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tissue mechanics and somatosensory neural responses govern touch sensation inC. elegans

Sanzeni¹,

Katta

Petzold

et al. 2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sense of touch hinges on tissues transducing stimuli applied to the skin and somatosensory neurons converting mechanical inputs into currents. Like mammalian Pacinian corpuscles, the light-touch response of the prime model organism C. elegans adapts rapidly, and is symmetrically activated by the onset and offset of a step indentation. Here, we propose a quantitative model that combines transduction of stimuli across the skin and subsequent gating of mechanoelectrical channels. For mechanics, we use an elastic model based on geometrically-nonlinear deformations of a pressurized cylindrical shell. For gating, we build upon consequences of the dermal layer’s thinness and tangential stimuli. Our model demonstrates how the onset-offset symmetry arises from the coupling of mechanics and adaptation, and accounts for experimental neural responses to a broad variety of stimuli. Predicted effects of modifications in the mechanics or the internal pressure of the body are tested against mechanical and neurophysiological experiments.

show abstract

“…mechanosensitivity | mechanoreception | trigeminal ganglia | Piezo2 | mechano-gating O f all of the sensory modalities possessed by vertebrates, mechanosensation remains the least understood at the cellular and molecular level. Rodents, the standard laboratory model for mechanosensation, mostly use whiskers for tactile discrimination, whereas other vertebrates rely on organs covered with glabrous (hairless) skin, such as fingertips and palms in primates, the star organ in the star-nosed mole, or the bill of tactile-foraging waterfowl (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). In the glabrous skin, many aspects of mechanical stimulation are sensed by Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles, the detectors of transient touch and vibration.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In ducks and other tactile-foraging waterfowl, such as geese, the acquisition of tactile information is carried out by Herbst and Grandry corpuscles, the analogs of the mammalian Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles, respectively, which are located below the epidermis of the glabrous skin covering the bill, tongue, and oral cavity. In adult birds, the corpuscles are innervated by rapidly adapting mechanosensory afferents from trigeminal ganglia (TG) and relay tactile information from the periphery to the principal trigeminal nucleus (PrV) in the brainstem (1,5,(10)(11)(12). In tactile foragers, the relative size of PrV is enlarged compared with visual foragers, suggesting the presence of an expanded population of mechanoreceptors in TG (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular basis of tactile specialization in the duck bill

Schneider

Anderson

Mastrotto

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tactile-foraging ducks are specialist birds known for their touch-dependent feeding behavior. They use dabbling, straining, and filtering to find edible matter in murky water, relying on the sense of touch in their bill. Here, we present the molecular characterization of embryonic duck bill, which we show contains a high density of mechanosensory corpuscles innervated by functional rapidly adapting trigeminal afferents. In contrast to chicken, a visually foraging bird, the majority of duck trigeminal neurons are mechanoreceptors that express the Piezo2 ion channel and produce slowly inactivating mechano-current before hatching. Furthermore, duck neurons have a significantly reduced mechano-activation threshold and elevated mechano-current amplitude. Cloning and electrophysiological characterization of duck Piezo2 in a heterologous expression system shows that duck Piezo2 is functionally similar to the mouse ortholog but with prolonged inactivation kinetics, particularly at positive potentials. Knockdown of Piezo2 in duck trigeminal neurons attenuates mechano current with intermediate and slow inactivation kinetics. This suggests that Piezo2 is capable of contributing to a larger range of mechano-activated currents in duck trigeminal ganglia than in mouse trigeminal ganglia. Our results provide insights into the molecular basis of mechanotransduction in a tactile-specialist vertebrate.

show abstract

Evolutionary Specialization of Tactile Perception in Vertebrates

Cited by 45 publications

References 88 publications

Touch, Tension, and Transduction – The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels

Touch, Tension, and Transduction – The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels

Tissue mechanics and somatosensory neural responses govern touch sensation inC. elegans

Molecular basis of tactile specialization in the duck bill

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About