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Mechanotransduction events at the physiological site of touch detection.

Luke H Ziolkowski1, Elena O Gracheva1,2,3,4, Sviatoslav N Bagriantsev1

  • 1Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.

Elife
|January 6, 2023
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Summary

Researchers recorded mechanically activated ionic currents and action potentials directly from mechanoreceptor nerve terminals in duck skin. This study reveals the initial electrical events underlying touch detection at the nerve ending.

Keywords:
Anas platyrhynchosGrandry corpuscleMeissner corpuscleduckmallardmechanosensationmechanosensitivityneuroscience

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Peripheral mechanoreceptors detect physical touch via mechanically gated ion channels.
  • The precise functional properties of mechanically activated (MA) ionic currents at the mechanoreceptor terminal remain largely unknown.
  • Direct evidence of MA current and mechanically induced action potentials in the mechanoreceptor terminal has been lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the electrophysiological properties of mechanotransduction at the nerve terminal.
  • To provide direct evidence of MA current and mechanically induced action potentials in the mechanoreceptor terminal.
  • To elucidate the initial electrogenic events of touch detection.

Main Methods:

  • Patch-clamp recordings were performed on the afferent terminal innervating Grandry (Meissner) corpuscles in duck bill skin.
  • Mechanical stimulation was applied to evoke ionic currents and action potentials.
  • Electrophysiological responses were analyzed for kinetics and firing patterns.

Main Results:

  • Mechanical stimulation evoked MA current in the afferent terminal with rapid activation and inactivation kinetics.
  • These MA currents triggered rapidly adapting firing in the afferent.
  • Electrophysiological responses were detected both at the terminal and in the associated afferent fiber.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first direct evidence of MA currents and mechanically induced action potentials in mechanoreceptor nerve terminals.
  • The findings elucidate the initial electrophysiological events of touch detection at the sensory nerve ending.
  • This research advances our understanding of how physical touch is converted into electrical signals in vertebrates.