Year of publication:
2005
Journal name:
The Journal of Neuroscience
Nociceptor and Hair Cell Transducer Properties of TRPA1, a Channel for Pain and Hearing
http://www.jneurosci.org –
Mechanosensory channels of sensory cells mediate the sensations of hearing, touch, and some forms of pain. The TRPA1 (a member of the TRP family of ion channel proteins) channel is activated by pain-producing chemicals, and its inhibition impairs hair cell mechanotransduction. As shown here and previously, TRPA1 is expressed by hair cells as well as by most nociceptors (small neurons of dorsal root, trigeminal, and nodose ganglia) and localizes to their sensory terminals (mechanosensory stereocilia and peripheral free nerves, respectively). Read more »
MECHANOTRANSDUCTION INVOLVING MULTIMODULAR PROTEINS: Converting Force into Biochemical Signals
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org –
Cells can sense and transduce a broad range of mechanical forces into distinct sets of biochemical signals that ultimately regulate cellular processes, including adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Deciphering at the nanoscale the design principles by which sensory elements are integrated into structural protein motifs whose conformations can be switched mechanically is crucial to understand the process of transduction of force into biochemical signals that are then integrated to regulate mechanoresponsive pathways. Read more »
Year of publication:
2006
Journal name:
Annual Review of Biophysics and Biomolecular Structure