Subconductance states add complexity to Piezo1 gating model.

Piezos are force-gated ion channels that detect and communicate membrane tension to the cell. Recent work from Ullah, Nosyreva, and colleagues characterizes partial channel openings, known as subconductance states, and develops a new gating model of Piezo1 function.

The energetics of rapid cellular mechanotransduction.

Cells throughout the human body detect mechanical forces. While it is known that the rapid (millisecond) detection of mechanical forces is mediated by force-gated ion channels, a detailed quantitative understanding of cells as sensors of mechanical energy is still lacking. Here, we combine atomic force microscopy with patch-clamp electrophysiology to determine the physical limits of cells expressing the force-gated ion channels (FGICs) Piezo1, Piezo2, TREK1, and TRAAK. We find that, depending on the ion channel expressed, cells can function either as proportional or nonlinear transducers of mechanical energy and detect mechanical energies as little as ~100 fJ, with a resolution of up to ~1 fJ. These specific energetic values depend on cell size, channel density, and cytoskeletal architecture. We also make the surprising discovery that cells can transduce forces either nearly instantaneously (<1 ms) or with a substantial time delay (~10 ms). Using a chimeric experimental approach and simulations, we show how such delays can emerge from channel-intrinsic properties and the slow diffusion of tension in the membrane. Overall, our experiments reveal the capabilities and limits of cellular mechanosensing and provide insights into molecular mechanisms that different cell types may employ to specialize for their distinct physiological roles.

Touch, Tension, and Transduction - The Function and Regulation of Piezo Ion Channels.

In 2010, two proteins, Piezo1 and Piezo2, were identified as the long-sought molecular carriers of an excitatory mechanically activated current found in many cells. This discovery has opened the floodgates for studying a vast number of mechanotransduction processes. Over the past 6 years, groundbreaking research has identified Piezos as ion channels that sense light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow, ruled out roles for Piezos in several other mechanotransduction processes, and revealed the basic structural and functional properties of the channel. Here, we review these findings and discuss the many aspects of Piezo function that remain mysterious, including how Piezos convert a variety of mechanical stimuli into channel activation and subsequent inactivation, and what molecules and mechanisms modulate Piezo function.

Piezo proteins are pore-forming subunits of mechanically activated channels.

Mechanotransduction has an important role in physiology. Biological processes including sensing touch and sound waves require as-yet-unidentified cation channels that detect pressure. Mouse Piezo1 (MmPiezo1) and MmPiezo2 (also called Fam38a and Fam38b, respectively) induce mechanically activated cationic currents in cells; however, it is unknown whether Piezo proteins are pore-forming ion channels or modulate ion channels. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster Piezo (DmPiezo, also called CG8486) also induces mechanically activated currents in cells, but through channels with remarkably distinct pore properties including sensitivity to the pore blocker ruthenium red and single channel conductances. MmPiezo1 assembles as a ∼1.2-million-dalton homo-oligomer, with no evidence of other proteins in this complex. Purified MmPiezo1 reconstituted into asymmetric lipid bilayers and liposomes forms ruthenium-red-sensitive ion channels. These data demonstrate that Piezo proteins are an evolutionarily conserved ion channel family involved in mechanotransduction.

Synergy between Piezo1 and Piezo2 channels confers high-strain mechanosensitivity to articular cartilage.

Diarthrodial joints are essential for load bearing and locomotion. Physiologically, articular cartilage sustains millions of cycles of mechanical loading. Chondrocytes, the cells in cartilage, regulate their metabolic activities in response to mechanical loading. Pathological mechanical stress can lead to maladaptive cellular responses and subsequent cartilage degeneration. We sought to deconstruct chondrocyte mechanotransduction by identifying mechanosensitive ion channels functioning at injurious levels of strain. We detected robust expression of the recently identified mechanosensitive channels, PIEZO1 and PIEZO2. Combined directed expression of Piezo1 and -2 sustained potentiated mechanically induced Ca(2+) signals and electrical currents compared with single-Piezo expression. In primary articular chondrocytes, mechanically evoked Ca(2+) transients produced by atomic force microscopy were inhibited by GsMTx4, a PIEZO-blocking peptide, and by Piezo1- or Piezo2-specific siRNA. We complemented the cellular approach with an explant-cartilage injury model. GsMTx4 reduced chondrocyte death after mechanical injury, suggesting a possible therapy for reducing cartilage injury and posttraumatic osteoarthritis by attenuating Piezo-mediated cartilage mechanotransduction of injurious strains.

Piezo1 ion channels are capable of conformational signaling.

Piezo1 is a mechanically activated ion channel that senses forces with short latency and high sensitivity. Piezos undergo large conformational changes, induce far-reaching deformation onto the membrane, and modulate the function of two-pore potassium (K2P) channels. Taken together, this led us to hypothesize that Piezos may be able to signal their conformational state to other nearby proteins. Here, we use chemical control to acutely restrict Piezo1 conformational flexibility and show that Piezo1 conformational changes, but not ion permeation through it, are required for modulating the K2P channel TREK1. Super-resolution imaging and stochastic simulations further reveal that both channels do not co-localize, which implies that modulation is not mediated through direct binding interactions; however, at high Piezo1 densities, most TREK1 channels are within the predicted Piezo1 membrane footprint, suggesting the footprint may underlie conformational signaling. We speculate that physiological roles originally attributed to Piezo1 ionotropic function could, alternatively, involve conformational signaling.

Piezo1 ion channels are capable of conformational signaling.

Piezo1 is a mechanically activated ion channel that senses forces with short latency and high sensitivity. Piezos undergo large conformational changes, induce far-reaching deformation onto the membrane, and modulate the function of two-pore potassium (K2P) channels. Taken together, this led us to hypothesize that Piezos may be able to signal their conformational state to other nearby proteins. Here, we use chemical control to acutely restrict Piezo1 conformational flexibility and show that Piezo1 conformational changes, but not ion permeation through them, are required for modulating the K2P channel K2P2.1 (TREK1). Super-resolution imaging and stochastic simulations further reveal that both channels do not co-localize, which implies that modulation is not mediated through direct binding interactions; however, at high Piezo1 densities, most TREK1 channels are within the predicted Piezo1 membrane footprint, suggesting that the footprint may underlie conformational signaling. We speculate that physiological roles originally attributed to Piezo1 ionotropic function could, alternatively, involve conformational signaling.

Two amino acid residues determine 2-APB sensitivity of the ion channels TRPV3 and TRPV4.

Temperature-activated transient receptor potential ion channels (thermoTRPs) are polymodal detectors of various stimuli including temperature, voltage, and chemicals. To date, it is not known how TRP channels integrate the action of such disparate stimuli. Identifying specific residues required for channel-activation by distinct stimuli is necessary for understanding overall TRP channel function. TRPV3 is activated by warm temperatures and various chemicals, and is modulated by voltage. One potent activator of TRPV3 is 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB), a synthetic chemical that modulates many TRP channels. In a high-throughput mutagenesis screen of approximately 14,000 mutated mouse TRPV3 clones, we found 2 residues (H426 and R696) specifically required for sensitivity of TRPV3 to 2-APB, but not to camphor or voltage. The cytoplasmic N-terminal mutation H426N in human, dog, and frog TRPV3 also effectively abolished 2-APB activation without affecting camphor responses. Interestingly, chicken TRPV3 is weakly sensitive to 2-APB, and the equivalent residue at 426 is an asparagine (N). Mutating this residue to histidine induced 2-APB sensitivity of chicken TRPV3 to levels comparable for other TRPV3 orthologs. The cytoplasmic C-terminal mutation R696K in the TRP box displayed 2-APB specific deficits only in the presence of extracellular calcium, suggesting involvement in gating. TRPV4, a related thermoTRP, is 2-APB insensitive and has variant sequences at both residues identified here. Remarkably, mutating these 2 residues in TRPV4 to TRPV3 sequences (N426H and W737R) was sufficient to induce TRPV3-like 2-APB sensitivity. Therefore, 2-APB activation of TRPV3 is separable from other activation mechanisms, and depends on 2 cytoplasmic residues.

Physics of mechanotransduction by Piezo ion channels.

Piezo ion channels are sensors of mechanical forces and mediate a wide range of physiological mechanotransduction processes. More than a decade of intense research has elucidated much of the structural and mechanistic principles underlying Piezo gating and its roles in physiology, although wide gaps of knowledge continue to exist. Here, we review the forces and energies involved in mechanical activation of Piezo ion channels and their functional modulation by other chemical and physical stimuli including lipids, voltage, and temperature. We compare the three predominant mechanisms likely to explain Piezo activation-the force-from-lipids mechanism, the tether model, and the membrane footprint theory. Additional sections shine light on how Piezo ion channels may affect each other through spatial clustering and functional cooperativity, and how substantial functional heterogeneity of Piezo ion channels arises as a byproduct of the precise physical environment each channel experiences. Finally, our review concludes by pointing out major research questions and technological limitations that future research can address.

Stretch and poke stimulation for characterizing mechanically activated ion channels.

Quantitative functional characterization of mechanically activated ion channels is most commonly achieved by a combination of patch-clamp electrophysiology and stimulation by stretch (or pressure-clamp) and poke (or cell-indentation). A variety of stretch and poke protocols can be used to make measurements of many ion channel properties, including channel number, unitary conductance, ion selectivity, stimulus threshold and sensitivity, stimulus adaptation, and gating kinetics (activation, deactivation, inactivation, recovery from inactivation). Here, we review the general methods of stretch and poke stimulation and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. We use the vertebrate mechanically activated ion channel Piezo1 to explain equipment components and calibration, demonstrate experimental protocols and data analyses, and discuss underlying concepts and mechanistic interpretations.

Piezo1 ion channels inherently function as independent mechanotransducers.

Piezo1 is a mechanically activated ion channel involved in sensing forces in various cell types and tissues. Cryo-electron microscopy has revealed that the Piezo1 structure is bowl-shaped and capable of inducing membrane curvature via its extended footprint, which indirectly suggests that Piezo1 ion channels may bias each other's spatial distribution and interact functionally. Here, we use cell-attached patch-clamp electrophysiology and pressure-clamp stimulation to functionally examine large numbers of membrane patches from cells expressing Piezo1 endogenously at low levels and cells overexpressing Piezo1 at high levels. Our data, together with stochastic simulations of Piezo1 spatial distributions, show that both at endogenous densities (1-2 channels/µm2), and at non-physiological densities (10-100 channels/µm2) predicted to cause substantial footprint overlap, Piezo1 density has no effect on its pressure sensitivity or open probability in the nominal absence of membrane tension. The results suggest that Piezo channels, at densities likely to be physiologically relevant, inherently behave as independent mechanotransducers. We propose that this property is essential for cells to transduce forces homogeneously across the entire cell membrane.

Cells can sense a range of mechanical forces both inside and outside the body, such as the stroke of a fingertip or the filling of a lung. Pores on the surface of the cell called Piezo channels open up in response to this pressure. This allows ions to flood in to the cell and trigger a series of biochemical reactions that alter the cell's behavior. Piezo channels have a unique bowl-like structure that transforms the shape of the cell surface around them, potentially affecting how nearby proteins behave. Previous research had suggested that these channels might be unevenly distributed across the cell surface, and were predicted to modify each other's behaviors when tightly packed together. This cooperative response would have a significant impact on how cells sense mechanical force. To investigate if this was the case, Lewis and Grandl studied a mouse cell called Neuro2A which naturally produces Piezo ion channels. In the experiment, pressure was applied to different parts of the cell and the electric current generated by ions moving across the surface was recorded: the higher the electrical activity, the more ion channels present. This showed that Piezo channels are randomly distributed across the cell surface and do not tend to cluster together. The same Neuro2A cells were then engineered to produce up to one hundred times more Piezo proteins. Despite the channels being more densely packed together, how they responded to mechanical force remained the same. These results suggest that Piezo channels act independently and are not influenced by close proximity to one another. Lewis and Grandl propose that this property may ensure that all parts of the cell surface react to mechanical force in the same way. Further work is needed to see if this finding applies to other cell types that produce Piezo proteins.

An Internal Dial for Sensitivity and Gain of Rapid Mechanotransduction.

Piezos are ion channels that are activated by mechanical force. Now, 10 years after their initial discovery, Geng et al. (2020) reports, in this issue of Neuron, a novel Piezo1 variant with distinct functional properties, providing key insights into Piezo's structure and function that were fully unexpected.

Inactivation Kinetics and Mechanical Gating of Piezo1 Ion Channels Depend on Subdomains within the Cap.

Piezo1 ion channels are activated by mechanical stimuli and mediate the sensing of blood flow. Although cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures have revealed the overall architecture of Piezo1, the precise domains involved in activation and subsequent inactivation have remained elusive. Here, we perform a targeted chimeric screen between Piezo1 and the closely related isoform Piezo2 and use electrophysiology to characterize their inactivation kinetics during mechanical stimulation. We identify three small subdomains within the extracellular cap that individually can confer the distinct kinetics of inactivation of Piezo2 onto Piezo1. We further show by cysteine crosslinking that conformational flexibility of these subdomains is required for mechanical activation to occur and that electrostatic interactions functionally couple the cap to the extensive blades, which have been proposed to function as sensors of membrane curvature and tension. This study provides a demonstration of internal gating motions involved in mechanotransduction by Piezo1.

Enhancer Histone Acetylation Modulates Transcriptional Bursting Dynamics of Neuronal Activity-Inducible Genes.

Neuronal activity-inducible gene transcription correlates with rapid and transient increases in histone acetylation at promoters and enhancers of activity-regulated genes. Exactly how histone acetylation modulates transcription of these genes has remained unknown. We used single-cell in situ transcriptional analysis to show that Fos and Npas4 are transcribed in stochastic bursts in mouse neurons and that membrane depolarization increases mRNA expression by increasing burst frequency. We then expressed dCas9-p300 or dCas9-HDAC8 fusion proteins to mimic or block activity-induced histone acetylation locally at enhancers. Adding histone acetylation increased Fos transcription by prolonging burst duration and resulted in higher Fos protein levels and an elevation of resting membrane potential. Inhibiting histone acetylation reduced Fos transcription by reducing burst frequency and impaired experience-dependent Fos protein induction in the hippocampus in vivo. Thus, activity-inducible histone acetylation tunes the transcriptional dynamics of experience-regulated genes to affect selective changes in neuronal gene expression and cellular function.

Modulation of proton-induced current fluctuations in the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel.

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a ligand-gated ion channel that switches upon activation from a closed state to a full conducting state. We found that the mutation delta S268K, located at 12' position of the second transmembrane domain of the delta subunit of the human nAChR generates a long-lived intermediate conducting state, from which openings to a wild-type like conductance level occur on a submillisecond time scale. Aiming to understand the interplay between structural changes near the 12' position and channel gating, we investigated the influence of various parameters: different ligands (acetylcholine, choline and epibatidine), ligand concentrations, transmembrane voltages and both fetal and adult nAChRs. Since sojourns in the high conductance state are not fully resolved in time, spectral noise analysis was used as a complement to dwell time analysis to determine the gating rate constants. Open channel current fluctuations are described by a two-state Markov model. The characteristic time of the process is markedly influenced by the ligand and the receptor type, whereas the frequency of openings to the high conductance state increases with membrane hyperpolarization. Conductance changes are discussed with regard to reversible transfer reaction of single protons at the lysine 12' side chain.

TRPV1 temperature activation is specifically sensitive to strong decreases in amino acid hydrophobicity.

Several transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels can be directly activated by hot or cold temperature with high sensitivity. However, the structures and molecular mechanism giving rise to their high temperature sensitivity are not fully understood. One hypothesized mechanism assumes that temperature activation is driven by the exposure of hydrophobic residues to solvent. This mechanism further predicts that residues are exposed to solvent in a coordinated fashion, but without necessarily being located in close proximity to each other. However, there is little experimental evidence supporting this mechanism in TRP channels. Here, we combined high-throughput mutagenesis, functional screening, and deep sequencing to identify mutations from a total of ~7,300 TRPV1 random mutant clones. We found that strong decreases in hydrophobicity of amino acids are better tolerated for activation by capsaicin than for activation by hot temperature, suggesting that strong hydrophobicity might be specifically required for temperature activation. Altogether, our work provides initial correlative support for a previously hypothesized temperature mechanism in TRP ion channels.

Transduction of Repetitive Mechanical Stimuli by Piezo1 and Piezo2 Ion Channels.

Several cell types experience repetitive mechanical stimuli, including vein endothelial cells during pulsating blood flow, inner ear hair cells upon sound exposure, and skin cells and their innervating dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons when sweeping across a textured surface or touching a vibrating object. While mechanosensitive Piezo ion channels have been clearly implicated in sensing static touch, their roles in transducing repetitive stimulations are less clear. Here, we perform electrophysiological recordings of heterologously expressed mouse Piezo1 and Piezo2 responding to repetitive mechanical stimulations. We find that both channels function as pronounced frequency filters whose transduction efficiencies vary with stimulus frequency, waveform, and duration. We then use numerical simulations and human disease-related point mutations to demonstrate that channel inactivation is the molecular mechanism underlying frequency filtering and further show that frequency filtering is conserved in rapidly adapting mouse DRG neurons. Our results give insight into the potential contributions of Piezos in transducing repetitive mechanical stimuli.

Inactivation of Mechanically Activated Piezo1 Ion Channels Is Determined by the C-Terminal Extracellular Domain and the Inner Pore Helix.

Piezo proteins form mechanically activated ion channels that are responsible for our sense of light touch, proprioception, and vascular blood flow. Upon activation by mechanical stimuli, Piezo channels rapidly inactivate in a voltage-dependent manner through an unknown mechanism. Inactivation of Piezo channels is physiologically important, as it modulates overall mechanical sensitivity, gives rise to frequency filtering of repetitive mechanical stimuli, and is itself the target of numerous human disease-related channelopathies that are not well understood mechanistically. Here, we identify the globular C-terminal extracellular domain as a structure that is sufficient to confer the time course of inactivation and a single positively charged lysine residue at the adjacent inner pore helix as being required for its voltage dependence. Our results are consistent with a mechanism for inactivation that is mediated through voltage-dependent conformations of the inner pore helix and allosteric coupling with the C-terminal extracellular domain.

Endogenous Piezo1 Can Confound Mechanically Activated Channel Identification and Characterization.

A gold standard for characterizing mechanically activated (MA) currents is via heterologous expression of candidate channels in naive cells. Two recent studies described MA channels using this paradigm. TMEM150c was proposed to be a component of an MA channel partly based on a heterologous expression approach (Hong et al., 2016). In another study, Piezo1's N-terminal "propeller" domain was proposed to constitute an intrinsic mechanosensitive module based on expression of a chimera between a pore-forming domain of the mechanically insensitive ASIC1 channel and Piezo1 (Zhao et al., 2016). When we attempted to replicate these results, we found each construct conferred modest MA currents in a small fraction of naive HEK cells similar to the published work. Strikingly, these MA currents were not detected in cells in which endogenous Piezo1 was CRISPR/Cas9 inactivated. These results highlight the importance of choosing cells lacking endogenous MA channels to assay the mechanotransduction properties of various proteins. This Matters Arising paper is in response to Hong et al. (2016) and Zhao et al. (2016) in Neuron. See also the response papers by Hong et al. (2017) and Zhao et al. (2017) published concurrently with this Matters Arising.

Temperature-activated ion channels in neural crest cells confer maternal fever-associated birth defects.

Birth defects of the heart and face are common, and most have no known genetic cause, suggesting a role for environmental factors. Maternal fever during the first trimester is an environmental risk factor linked to these defects. Neural crest cells are precursor populations essential to the development of both at-risk tissues. We report that two heat-activated transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, TRPV1 and TRPV4, were present in neural crest cells during critical windows of heart and face development. TRPV1 antagonists protected against the development of hyperthermia-induced defects in chick embryos. Treatment with chemical agonists of TRPV1 or TRPV4 replicated hyperthermia-induced birth defects in chick and zebrafish embryos. To test whether transient TRPV channel permeability in neural crest cells was sufficient to induce these defects, we engineered iron-binding modifications to TRPV1 and TRPV4 that enabled remote and noninvasive activation of these channels in specific cellular locations and at specific developmental times in chick embryos with radio-frequency electromagnetic fields. Transient stimulation of radio frequency-controlled TRP channels in neural crest cells replicated fever-associated defects in developing chick embryos. Our data provide a previously undescribed mechanism for congenital defects, whereby hyperthermia activates ion channels that negatively affect fetal development.