title: piezo2b regulates vertebrate light touch response.
abstract: The sense of touch allows an organism to detect and respond to physical environmental stimuli. Mechanosensitive proteins play a crucial role in this process by converting the mechanical cue into a biological response. Recently, the Piezo family of stretch-activated ion channels has been identified as genuine mechanosensitive proteins. We set out to determine whether any of these genes are involved in touch response during zebrafish development. In situ hybridization indicates that piezo2b is specifically expressed in a subset of neurons (Rohon-Beard cells) responsible for detecting light touch. Using morpholino-mediated knockdown, we specifically targeted piezo2b and determined that it is involved in mediating touch-evoked response.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR-5203, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Département de Physiologie, Labex Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, F-34094 Montpellier, France, INSERM, U661, F-34094 Montpellier, France, and Universités de Montpellier 1 and 2, UMR-5203, F-34094 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Adèle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faucherre
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nargeot
authors.forename: Matteo E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mangoni
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jopling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D060172:Morpholinos / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014110:Touch; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D060172:Morpholinos; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C585153:piezo2b protein, zebrafish
keywords: Piezo2