Physiology: A sensor that takes your breath away
Nature
December 22, 2016
The over-inflation of mouse lungs is prevented by the protein Piezo2, reports a study published online in Nature this week. The protein, previously implicated in the skin's sense of touch, regulates normal breathing and is also required for the initial lung inflation at birth. These findings may provide insights into respiratory disorders, such as sleep apnoea or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Most mammals prevent their lungs from over-inflating through a response known as the Hering-Breuer reflex, which immediately stops further inhalation. The details of how this reflex works are, however, unclear. Piezo2 has previously been shown to help cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, and is abundant in sensory neurons.
Ardem Patapoutian and colleagues investigated the role of Piezo2 in regulating lung inflation in mice. They find that deleting Piezo2 in specific neurons in adult mice impairs the Hering-Breuer reflex, resulting in increased tidal lung volume (taking larger breaths than normal). Newborn mice that are deficient in Piezo2 die at birth.
These results indicate that Piezo2 senses when airways are stretching, establishing respiration in newborn mice and regulating normal breathing in adults. The authors propose that defects in the action of this stretch sensor may be implicated in respiratory disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sudden infant death syndrome or adult sleep apnoea. However, the role of human PIEZO2 in respiration requires further investigation.
doi: 10.1038/nature20793
Research highlights
-
Jun 30
Genomics: Gray wolf genome hints at dual ancestry of dogsNature
-
Jun 30
Evolution: Hawks learn on the fly to swoop up before perchingNature
-
Jun 30
Microbiology: Transmission of gastrointestinal viruses in salivaNature
-
Jun 29
COVID-19: Assessing instances of long COVID in UK health dataNature Communications
-
Jun 24
Palaeontology: It sucked to be the prey of ancient cephalopodsScientific Reports
-
Jun 24
Sport science: New wearable sensor to measure neck strain may detect potential concussionScientific Reports