Drummond H A, Welsh M J, Abboud F M
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2001 Jun;940:42-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb03665.x.
Mechanosensation is essential to the perception of our environment. It is required for hearing, touch, balance, proprioception, and blood pressure homeostasis. Yet little is known about the identity of ion-channel complexes that transduce mechanical stimuli into neuronal responses. Genetic studies in Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that members of the DEG/ENaC family may be mechanosensors. Therefore we tested the hypothesis that mammalian epithelial Na(+)-channel (ENaC) subunits contribute to the mechanosensor in baroreceptor neurons. The data presented here show that ENaC transcripts and proteins are expressed in mechanosensory neurons and at the putative sites of mechanotransduction in baroreceptor sensory-nerve terminals. Additionally, known ENaC inhibitors, amiloride and benzamil, disrupt mechanotransduction in arterial baroreceptor neurons. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that DEG/ENaC proteins are components of mechanosensitive ion-channel complexes.
机械感觉对于我们对环境的感知至关重要。它对于听觉、触觉、平衡、本体感觉以及血压稳态都是必需的。然而，关于将机械刺激转化为神经元反应的离子通道复合物的身份，我们所知甚少。秀丽隐杆线虫的遗传学研究表明，DEG/ENaC家族的成员可能是机械传感器。因此，我们测试了以下假设：哺乳动物上皮钠通道（ENaC）亚基对压力感受器神经元中的机械传感器有贡献。此处呈现的数据表明，ENaC转录本和蛋白质在机械感觉神经元以及压力感受器感觉神经末梢的假定机械转导位点表达。此外，已知的ENaC抑制剂氨氯吡脒和苄amil会破坏动脉压力感受器神经元中的机械转导。这些数据与DEG/ENaC蛋白是机械敏感离子通道复合物的组成部分这一假设一致。
