piezo2b regulates vertebrate light touch response

A Faucherre, J Nargeot, ME Mangoni… - Journal of …, 2013 - Soc Neuroscience
A Faucherre, J Nargeot, ME Mangoni, C Jopling
Journal of Neuroscience, 2013Soc Neuroscience
The sense of touch allows an organism to detect and respond to physical environmental
stimuli. Mechanosensitive proteins play a crucial role in this process by converting the
mechanical cue into a biological response. Recently, the Piezo family of stretch-activated ion
channels has been identified as genuine mechanosensitive proteins. We set out to
determine whether any of these genes are involved in touch response during zebrafish
development. In situ hybridization indicates that piezo2b is specifically expressed in a …
The sense of touch allows an organism to detect and respond to physical environmental stimuli. Mechanosensitive proteins play a crucial role in this process by converting the mechanical cue into a biological response. Recently, the Piezo family of stretch-activated ion channels has been identified as genuine mechanosensitive proteins. We set out to determine whether any of these genes are involved in touch response during zebrafish development. In situ hybridization indicates that piezo2b is specifically expressed in a subset of neurons (Rohon–Beard cells) responsible for detecting light touch. Using morpholino-mediated knockdown, we specifically targeted piezo2b and determined that it is involved in mediating touch-evoked response.
Soc Neuroscience