Abstract

Neurons that sense touch, sound and acceleration respond rapidly to specific mechanical signals. The proteins that transduce these signals and underlie these senses, however, are mostly unknown. Research over the past decade has suggested that members of three families of channel proteins are candidate transduction molecules. Current studies are directed towards characterizing these candidates, determining how they are mechanically gated and discovering new molecules that are involved in mechanical sensing.

Author affiliations

1. Columbia University Department of Biological Sciences, 1012 Fairchild Center, M.C. 2446, New York, New York 10027, USA.
   Email: mc21@columbia.edu

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