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Mechanotransduction in Caenorhabditis elegans

The role of DEG/ENaC ion channels

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Abstract

One of the looming mysteries in signal transduction today is the question of how mechanical signals, such as pressure or mechanical force delivered to a cell, are interpreted to direct biological responses. All living organisms, and probably all cells, have the ability to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. At the single-cell level, mechanical signaling underlies cell-volume control and specialized responses such as the prevention of poly-spermy in fertilization. At the level of the whole organism, mechanotransduction underlies processes as diverse as stretch-activated reflexes in vascular epithelium and smooth muscle; gravitaxis and turgor control in plants; tissue development and morphogenesis; and the senses of touch, hearing, and balance. Intense genetic, molecular, and elecrophysiological studies in organisms ranging from nematodes to mammals have highlighted members of the recently discovered DEG/ENaC family of ion channels as strong candidates for the elusive metazoan mechanotransducer. Here, we discuss the evidence that links DEG/ENaC ion channels to mechanotransduction and review the function of Caenorhabiditis elegans members of this family called degenerins and their role in mediating mechanosensitive behaviors in the worm.

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  1. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

    Nektarios Tavernarakis & Monica Driscoll

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  1. Nektarios Tavernarakis
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  2. Monica Driscoll
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Correspondence to Nektarios Tavernarakis.

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Tavernarakis, N., Driscoll, M. Mechanotransduction in Caenorhabditis elegans . Cell Biochem Biophys 35, 1–18 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1385/CBB:35:1:01

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