The cell biology of touch.
The sense of touch detects forces that bombard the body's surface. In metazoans, an assortment of morphologically and functionally distinct mechanosensory cell types are tuned to selectively respond to diverse mechanical stimuli, such as vibration, stretch, and pressure. A comparative evolutionary approach across mechanosensory cell types and genetically tractable species is beginning to uncover the cellular logic of touch reception.
Lumpkin
Ellen A
EA
Department of Dermatology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA. eal2166@columbia.edu
Marshall
Kara L
KL
Nelson
Aislyn M
AM
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology
D007473:Ion Channels