Every hug, every handshake, every deft movement requires tactile perception, so it is important to understand the molecular basis behind the occurrence of touch. Until now, researchers knew that an ion channel called Piezo2 was required for touch perception, but it became clear that the protein alone did not explain the body's entire touch perception.
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| CDFG003561 | Human PIEZO2 cDNA Clone (NM_022068.2) | Inquiry |
| CSC-DC011751 | Panoply™ Human PIEZO2 Knockdown Stable Cell Line | Inquiry |
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| CDCB186674 | Rabbit PIEZO2 ORF clone (XM_008261025.1) | Inquiry |
| CDCR307479 | Human PIEZO2 ORF Clone (NM_022068.2) | Inquiry |
Recently, in a research report titled "Touch sensation requires the mechanically-gated ion channel ELKIN1" published in the international magazine Science, scientists from Germany discovered through research a new ion channel that plays an important role in the tactile perception process.
For more than 20 years, researcher Gary Lewin has been studying the molecular mechanisms behind the occurrence of touch. Now they have discovered that an ion channel called Elkin1 may play a key role in the tactile perception process. This is only the second ion channel involved in tactile perception. It is possible that this protein is directly involved in the process by which mechanical stimuli, such as a gentle touch, are converted into electrical signals. When Elkin1 is present, receptors on the skin transmit touch signals through nerve fibers into the central nervous system and brain.
A few years ago, researchers investigating malignant melanoma cell lines stumbled upon Elkin1, a protein that these highly mobile cancer cells need to sense mechanical forces. Now the researchers want to determine whether the same protein also plays an important role in touch perception.
Figure 1. Elkin1−/− mice are touch insensitive. (Chakrabarti S, et al., 2024)
The researchers created genetically modified mice that lacked the Elkin1 gene. They then conducted simple behavioral experiments. Using a cotton swab to gently wipe the rodents' hind paws, Dr. Lewin said that typically, normal mice respond to the swab 90 percent of the time. In contrast, mice lacking Elkin1 responded only half the time, indicating touch insensitivity. Importantly, the rodents' responses to non-mechanical stimuli such as temperature were not affected.
At the neuronal level, researchers used patch clamp methods to record the electrical activity of sensory neurons when their membranes were poked. In mice genetically modified to lack Elkin1, about half of the neurons do not respond to mechanical signals and no signaling occurs. Further experimental results showed that during the first part of the signal's journey from the skin to the spinal cord and brain, no signal is transmitted from the neuron's receptors to the skin.
In addition, the researchers conducted a joint study to analyze whether Elkin1 is necessary for the transmission of touch in cultures of human sensory neurons derived from stem cells. Related research results also strongly indicate that Elkin1 plays a potentially important role in human touch perception.
The researchers believe that during normal model transfer, Elkin1 and Piezo2 can share roles in tactile perception. They also found evidence that Elkin1 may play an important role in transmitting painful mechanical stimuli. If this is confirmed, the researchers will not only identify a second ion channel that is integral to normal touch perception, but also discover a new potential target that holds promise for treating chronic pain in humans. In summary, this study identified ELKIN1 as a core component of tactile transduction in mice and humans.
Reference
Chakrabarti S, et al. Touch sensation requires the mechanically gated ion channel ELKIN1. Science, 2024, 383(6686): 992-998.