Voglis Giannis, Tavernarakis Nektarios
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion 71110, Crete, Greece
Mechanotransduction is the conversion of a mechanical stimulus into a biological response and constitutes the basis for a plethora of fundamental biological processes such as the senses of touch, balance and hearing and contributes critically to development and homeostasis in all organisms. Recent, genetic and electrophysiological studies have shown that specialized macromolecular complexes, encompassing mechanically gated ion channels, play a central role in the transformation of mechanical forces into a cellular signal, which takes place in mechanosensory organs of diverse organisms. These complexes are highly efficient sensors, closely entangled with their surrounding environment. Such association appears essential for proper channel gating, and provides proximity of the mechanosensory apparatus to the source of triggering mechanical energy. Genetic and molecular evidence collected in model organisms such as the nematode worm , the fruit fly and the mouse highlight distinct classes of mechanically gated ion channels and interacting molecules, which are likely parts of the mechanotransducing apparatus. In this article, we review the progress towards deciphering mechanotransduction in . The exceptional amenability of this simple worm to genetic and molecular manipulations has facilitated the dissection of a metazoan mechanotransducer complex to unprecedented detail.
机械转导是将机械刺激转化为生物反应的过程，是众多基本生物过程（如触觉、平衡感和听觉）的基础，对所有生物体的发育和体内平衡起着至关重要的作用。最近的遗传学和电生理学研究表明，包含机械门控离子通道的特殊大分子复合物在将机械力转化为细胞信号的过程中起着核心作用，这一过程发生在多种生物体的机械感觉器官中。这些复合物是高效的传感器，与周围环境紧密相连。这种关联似乎对通道的正常门控至关重要，并使机械感觉装置靠近触发机械能的来源。在诸如线虫、果蝇和小鼠等模式生物中收集的遗传学和分子证据突出了不同类别的机械门控离子通道和相互作用分子，它们可能是机械转导装置的组成部分。在本文中，我们回顾了在破译[具体生物名称未给出]机械转导方面取得的进展。这种简单蠕虫对遗传和分子操作的特殊适应性，使得对后生动物机械转导复合物的剖析达到了前所未有的详细程度。
