title: Plug-N-Play: Mechanotransduction Goes Modular.
abstract: Mechanosensitive ion channels initiate sensory signals by converting mechanical information into electrochemical signals. In this issue of Neuron (Zhao et al., 2016), a data-rich structure-function study on mammalian mechanosensitive Piezo channels reveals a modular protein architecture that includes a central pore module surrounded by a force-sensing module.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Nurunisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akyuz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: jeffrey.holt@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Holt
mesh_terms: D062565:Acid Sensing Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D007477:Ions / Q000378:metabolism*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D062565:Acid Sensing Ion Channels; D007473:Ion Channels; D007477:Ions