Touch sensation requires the mechanically gated ion channel ELKIN1

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	Touch sensation requires the mechanically gated ion channel ELKIN1
Creators Name:	Chakrabarti, S., Klich, J.D., Khallaf, M.A., Hulme, A.J., Sánchez-Carranza, O., Baran, Z.M., Rossi, A., Huang, A.T.L., Pohl, T., Fleischer, R., Fürst, C., Hammes, A., Bégay, V., Hörnberg, H., Finol-Urdaneta, R.K., Poole, K., Dottori, M. and Lewin, G.
Abstract:	Touch perception is enabled by mechanically activated ion channels, the opening of which excites cutaneous sensory endings to initiate sensation. In this study, we identify ELKIN1 as an ion channel likely gated by mechanical force, necessary for normal touch sensitivity in mice. Touch insensitivity in Elkin1(-/-) mice was caused by a loss of mechanically activated currents (MA currents) in around half of all sensory neurons activated by light touch (low-threshold mechanoreceptors). Reintroduction of Elkin1(-/-) into sensory neurons from Elkin1(-/-) mice restored MA currents. Additionally, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Elkin1(-/-) from induced human sensory neurons substantially reduced indentation-induced MA currents, supporting a conserved role for ELKIN1 in human touch. Our data identify ELKIN1 as a core component of touch transduction in mice and potentially in humans.
Keywords:	HEK293 Cells, Ion Channels, Mechanoreceptors, Cellular Mechanotransduction, Membrane Proteins, Mutant Strains Mice, Small Interfering RNA, Sensory Receptor Cells, Touch, Touch Perception, Animals, Mice
Source:	Science
ISSN:	0036-8075
Publisher:	American Association for the Advancement of Science
Volume:	383
Number:	6686
Page Range:	992-998
Date:	1 March 2024
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adl0495
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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