ArticleNature cell biology2014
Mechanical control of the sense of touch by β-spectrin.
Article in Nature cell biology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 122 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
122 citing papers in PubMed, 207 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mechanosensory encoding of surface mechanics optimizes locomotion.Nature communications · 2026Article
- External mechanical force drives axonal cytoskeletal rearrangements.Current biology : CB · 2026Article
- Review
- Membrane-associated periodic skeleton regulates major forms of endocytosis in neurons through a signaling-driven positive feedback loop.Science advances · 2026Article
- Bright calcium-modulated bioluminescent indicators for activity imaging and red photon-assisted synaptic transmission.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- An epidermal membrane-associated periodic skeleton restricts endocytosis to stabilize neuron-epidermal attachment and preserve axons.Science advances · 2026Article
- Membrane-associated periodic skeleton regulates major forms of endocytosis in neurons through a signaling-driven positive feedback loop.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Elastic analysis bridges structure and dynamics of an AAA+ molecular motor.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
- Obstacles Regulate Membrane Tension Propagation to Enable Localized Mechanotransduction.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- The membrane skeleton is constitutively remodeled in neurons by calcium signaling.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Genetically encoded mechano-sensors with versatile readouts and compact size.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Making cells inter-connected for signaling communication: a developmental view of cytonemes.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Review
- The neuron-intrinsic membrane skeleton is required for motor neuron integrity throughout lifespan.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Digital and Tunable Genetically Encoded Tension Sensors Based on Engineered Coiled-Coils.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2025Article
- Axonal Mechanotransduction Drives Cytoskeletal Responses to Physiological Mechanical Forces.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Unraveling diversity by isolating peptide sequences specific to distinct taxonomic groups.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Article
- Unveiling the potential of biomechanics in pioneering innovative strategies for cancer therapy.Theranostics · 2025Review
- Myosin II tension sensors visualize force generation within the actin cytoskeleton in living cells.Journal of cell science · 2024Article
62 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The ability to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli emanates from sensory neurons and is shared by most, if not all, animals. Exactly how such neurons receive and distribute mechanical signals during touch sensation remains mysterious. Here, we show that sensation of mechanical forces depends on a continuous, pre-stressed spectrin cytoskeleton inside neurons. Mutations in the tetramerization domain of Caenorhabditis elegans β-spectrin (UNC-70), an actin-membrane crosslinker, cause defects in sensory neuron morphology under compressive stress in moving animals. Through atomic force spectroscopy experiments on isolated neurons, in vivo laser axotomy and fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging to measure force across single cells and molecules, we show that spectrin is held under constitutive tension in living animals, which contributes to elevated pre-stress in touch receptor neurons. Genetic manipulations that decrease such spectrin-dependent tension also selectively impair touch sensation, suggesting that such pre-tension is essential for efficient responses to external mechanical stimuli.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.