ArticleNature2014
Piezo2 is required for Merkel-cell mechanotransduction.
Article in Nature, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 444 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
444 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 766 citations in OpenAlex.
- The interplay between epidermal cells and the cutaneous sensory nervous: a systematic review.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- The Lamellar Cells of Vertebrate Meissner and Pacinian Corpuscles: Development, Characterization, and Functions.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Article
- Piezo channels contribute to the terminal cytodifferentiation of odontoblasts via modulation of canonical Wnt signaling.International journal of oral science · 2026Article
- Article
- Cellular Responses to Mechanical Cues Across Scales: From Fundamental Insights to Translational Potential.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Review
- Peripheral mechanisms of tactile sensation in fish.Current opinion in neurobiology · 2026Review
- Bioinspired Rheological Sensing for Robotic Liquid Identification in Sealed Containers via Ultrafast Incipient Slip Detection.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Article
- Anatomical Characteristics of Tongue-Innervating Mechanoreceptors.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2026Article
- The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Macrophage Axis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evidence, Limitations, and Therapeutic Hypotheses.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The mechanotransduction channel Piezo2 refines axonal projections to the accessory optic system and regulates the optokinetic reflex.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Piezo2 tension sensitivity and its modulation by alternative splicing.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Oligodendrocyte Piezo2 is a regulator of age-dependent myelin integrity and dysregulated in multiple sclerosis.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Yoda molecules agonize PIEZO2.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Redefining the central pattern generator for vertebrate locomotion.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- MDFIC2 is a sensory neuron-specific PIEZO channel auxiliary subunit.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Massively parallel in-sensor skinomorphic computing.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Dietary Microplastics Engage Gut Mechanosensory-Endocrine Signaling to Disrupt Bone Homeostasis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Electrophysiological Properties and Mechanical Sensitivity of Trigeminal Ganglionic Neurons That Innervate the Maxillary Sinus in Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Enhanced multisensory integration in the olfactory bulb of the Mexican cavefish.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
384 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
How we sense touch remains fundamentally unknown. The Merkel cell-neurite complex is a gentle touch receptor in the skin that mediates slowly adapting responses of Aβ sensory fibres to encode fine details of objects. This mechanoreceptor complex was recognized to have an essential role in sensing gentle touch nearly 50 years ago. However, whether Merkel cells or afferent fibres themselves sense mechanical force is still debated, and the molecular mechanism of mechanotransduction is unknown. Synapse-like junctions are observed between Merkel cells and associated afferents, and yet it is unclear whether Merkel cells are inherently mechanosensitive or whether they can rapidly transmit such information to the neighbouring nerve. Here we show that Merkel cells produce touch-sensitive currents in vitro. Piezo2, a mechanically activated cation channel, is expressed in Merkel cells. We engineered mice deficient in Piezo2 in the skin, but not in sensory neurons, and show that Merkel-cell mechanosensitivity completely depends on Piezo2. In these mice, slowly adapting responses in vivo mediated by the Merkel cell-neurite complex show reduced static firing rates, and moreover, the mice display moderately decreased behavioural responses to gentle touch. Our results indicate that Piezo2 is the Merkel-cell mechanotransduction channel and provide the first line of evidence that Piezo channels have a physiological role in mechanosensation in mammals. Furthermore, our data present evidence for a two-receptor-site model, in which both Merkel cells and innervating afferents act together as mechanosensors. The two-receptor system could provide this mechanoreceptor complex with a tuning mechanism to achieve highly sophisticated responses to a given mechanical stimulus.
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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.