TACAN Is an Ion Channel Involved in Sensing Mechanical Pain.
Cell
; 180(5): 956-967.e17, 2020 03 05.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32084332
ABSTRACT
Mechanotransduction, the conversion of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, is a fundamental process underlying essential physiological functions such as touch and pain sensing, hearing, and proprioception. Although the mechanisms for some of these functions have been identified, the molecules essential to the sense of pain have remained elusive. Here we report identification of TACAN (Tmem120A), an ion channel involved in sensing mechanical pain. TACAN is expressed in a subset of nociceptors, and its heterologous expression increases mechanically evoked currents in cell lines. Purification and reconstitution of TACAN in synthetic lipids generates a functional ion channel. Finally, a nociceptor-specific inducible knockout of TACAN decreases the mechanosensitivity of nociceptors and reduces behavioral responses to painful mechanical stimuli but not to thermal or touch stimuli. We propose that TACAN is an ion channel that contributes to sensing mechanical pain.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pain
/
Touch
/
Nociceptors
/
Mechanotransduction, Cellular
/
Ion Channels
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Cell
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canada