Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Mechanotransduction channels are widely expressed in both vertebrates and invertebrates, mediating various physiological processes such as touch, hearing and blood-pressure sensing. While previously known mechanotransduction channels in metazoans are primarily cation-selective, we identified Anoctamin-1 (ANOH-1), the C. elegans homolog of mammalian calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1/TMEM16A, as an essential component of a mechanosensory channel complex that contributes to the nose touch mechanosensation in C. elegans. Ectopic expression of either C. elegans or human Anoctamin-1 confers mechanosensitivity to touch-insensitive neurons, suggesting a cell-autonomous role of ANOH-1/ANO1 in mechanotransduction. Additionally, we demonstrated that the mechanosensory function of ANOH-1/ANO1 relies on CIB (calcium- and integrin- binding) proteins. Thus, our results reveal an evolutionarily conserved chloride channel involved in mechanosensory transduction in metazoans, highlighting the importance of anion channels in mechanosensory processes.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Wenjuan Zou, Yuedan Fan, Jia Liu, Hankui Cheng, Huitao Hong, Umar Al-Sheikh, Shitian Li, Linhui Zhu, Rong Li, Longyuan He, Yi-Quan Tang, Guohua Zhao, Yongming Zhang, Feng Wang, Renya Zhan, Xiujue Zheng, Lijun Kang
Language: English
Topic: Ion Channels and Receptors
Subfield: Sensory Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
OpenAlex ID: W4407612349