title: Mechanically sensitive, nonselective cation channels.
abstract: Mechanically sensitive channels (MSCs) are ubiquitous in plant and animal cells. They respond primarily to membrane tension, thus making them good transducers for forces derived from osmotic or hydraulic gradients and shear stress. They may also be modulated by membrane voltage and various ligands. MSCs are most commonly cation selective, passing calcium as well as monovalent ions, but some are K+ selective, and a few are anion selective. MSCs occur at a density of about 0.2-5 per microns2. The universal distribution and biophysical properties of MSCs make them the ideal mechanotransducers in a wide variety of cellular processes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125.
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sachs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D007473:Ion Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels