Integrin α2β1 affects mechano-transduction in slowly and rapidly adapting cutaneous mechanoreceptors in rat hairy skin

Acid-sensing ion channels: dual function proteins for chemo-sensing and mechano-sensing

Background

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are a group of amiloride-sensitive ligand-gated ion channels belonging to the family of degenerin/epithelial sodium channels. ASICs are predominantly expressed in both the peripheral and central nervous system and have been characterized as potent proton sensors to detect extracellular acidification in the periphery and brain.

Main body

Here we review the recent studies focusing on the physiological roles of ASICs in the nervous system. As the major acid-sensing membrane proteins in the nervous system, ASICs detect tissue acidosis occurring at tissue injury, inflammation, ischemia, stroke, and tumors as well as fatiguing muscle to activate pain-sensing nerves in the periphery and transmit pain signals to the brain. Arachidonic acid and lysophosphocholine have been identified as endogenous non-proton ligands activating ASICs in a neutral pH environment. On the other hand, ASICs are found involved in the tether model mechanotransduction, in which the extracellular matrix and cytoplasmic cytoskeletons act like a gating-spring to tether the mechanically activated ion channels and thus transmit the stimulus force to the channels. Accordingly, accumulating evidence has shown ASICs play important roles in mechanotransduction of proprioceptors, mechanoreceptors and nociceptors to monitor the homoeostatic status of muscle contraction, blood volume, and blood pressure as well as pain stimuli.

Conclusion

Together, ASICs are dual-function proteins for both chemosensation and mechanosensation involved in monitoring physiological homoeostasis and pathological signals.

A Nociceptive Role for Integrin Signaling in Pain After Mechanical Injury to the Spinal Facet Capsular Ligament

Integrins modulate chemically-induced nociception in a variety of inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Yet, the role of integrins in mechanically-induced pain remains undefined, despite its well-known involvement in cell adhesion and mechanotransduction. Excessive spinal facet capsular ligament stretch is a common injury that induces morphological and functional changes in its innervating afferent neurons and can lead to pain. However, the local mechanisms underlying the translation from tissue deformation to pain signaling are unclear, impeding effective treatment. Therefore, the involvement of the integrin subunit β1 in pain signaling from facet injury was investigated in complementary in vivo and in vitro studies. An anatomical study in the rat identified expression of the integrin subunit β1 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating the facet, with greater expression in peptidergic than non-peptidergic DRG neurons. Painful facet capsule stretch in the rat upregulated the integrin subunit β1 in small- and medium-diameter DRG neurons at day 7. Inhibiting the α2β1 integrin in a DRG-collagen culture prior to its stretch injury prevented strain-induced increases in axonal substance P (SP) in a dose-dependent manner. Together, these findings suggest that integrin subunit β1-dependent pathways may contribute to SP-mediated pain from mechanical injury of the facet capsular ligament.

A quasi-experimental study on the effects of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization on mechanosensitive neurons

[Purpose] Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a form of manual therapy. Despite its growing popularity and an increasing number of patients receiving IASTM each year, there is a lack of high-level evidence to elucidate its therapeutic mechanisms and to support its clinical applications. The purpose of this research project was to determine the effects of IASTM on activities of mechanosensitive neurons in skin. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three subjects, 9 females and 14 males, mean age 25.7 (SD 6.4) years old were recruited through a convenience sampling on the university campus. The study design was a quasi-experimental study using single group pretest-posttest design. The activities of mechanosensitive neurons were measured before and after the application of IASTM. [Results] The mean 2-point discrimination was 40.2 (SD 9.4) mm before IASTM and increased to 44.9 (SD 12.0) mm after IASTM. The increase was statistically significant pre and post IASTM. The mean pain threshold was 18.2 (SD 6.6) lb and increased slightly to 18.7 (SD 6.8) lb after IASTM; however, no statistical significance was found pre and post IASTM. [Conclusion] The data indicates that IASTM changes the neural activities in 2-point discrimination but not in pain threshold.

Neurosensory mechanotransduction through acid-sensing ion channels

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are voltage-insensitive cation channels responding to extracellular acidification. ASIC proteins have two transmembrane domains and a large extracellular domain. The molecular topology of ASICs is similar to that of the mechanosensory abnormality 4- or 10-proteins expressed in touch receptor neurons and involved in neurosensory mechanotransduction in nematodes. The ASIC proteins are involved in neurosensory mechanotransduction in mammals. The ASIC isoforms are expressed in Merkel cell-neurite complexes, periodontal Ruffini endings and specialized nerve terminals of skin and muscle spindles, so they might participate in mechanosensation. In knockout mouse models, lacking an ASIC isoform produces defects in neurosensory mechanotransduction of tissue such as skin, stomach, colon, aortic arch, venoatrial junction and cochlea. The ASICs are thus implicated in touch, pain, digestive function, baroreception, blood volume control and hearing. However, the role of ASICs in mechanotransduction is still controversial, because we lack evidence that the channels are mechanically sensitive when expressed in heterologous cells. Thus, ASIC channels alone are not sufficient to reconstruct the path of transducing molecules of mechanically activated channels. The mechanotransducers associated with ASICs need further elucidation. In this review, we discuss the expression of ASICs in sensory afferents of mechanoreceptors, findings of knockout studies, technical issues concerning studies of neurosensory mechanotransduction and possible missing links. Also we propose a molecular model and a new approach to disclose the molecular mechanism underlying the neurosensory mechanotransduction.

Mechanosignaling pathways in cutaneous scarring

Mechanotransduction is the process by which physical forces are sensed and converted into biochemical signals that then result in cellular responses. The discovery and development of various molecular pathways involved in this process have revolutionized the fundamental and clinical understanding regarding the formation and progression of cutaneous scars. The aim of this review is to report the recent advances in scar mechanosignaling research. The mechanosignaling pathways that participate in the formation and growth of cutaneous scars can be divided into those whose role in mechanoresponsiveness has been proven (the TGF-β/Smad, integrin, and calcium ion pathways) and those who have a possible but as yet unproven role (such as MAPK and G protein, Wnt/β-catenin, TNF-α/NF-κB, and interleukins). During scar development, these cellular mechanosignaling pathways interact actively with the extracellular matrix. They also crosstalk extensively with the hypoxia, inflammation, and angiogenesis pathways. The elucidation of scar mechanosignaling pathways provides a new platform for understanding scar development. This better understanding will facilitate research into this promising field and may help to promote the development of pharmacological interventions that could ultimately prevent, reduce, or even reverse scar formation or progression.

Fibroproliferative disorders and their mechanobiology

Benign and malignant fibroproliferative disorders (FPDs) include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hepatic cirrhosis, myelofibrosis, systemic sclerosis, Dupuytren's contracture, hypertrophic scars, and keloids. They are characterized by excessive connective tissue accumulation and slow but continuous tissue contraction that lead to progressive deterioration in the normal structure and function of affected organs. In recent years, research in diverse fields has increasingly highlighted the potential role of mechanobiology in the molecular mechanisms of fibroproliferation. Mechanobiology, the heart of which is mechanotransduction, is the process whereby cells sense mechanical forces and transduce them, thereby changing the intracellular biochemistry and gene expression. Understanding mechanosignaling may provide new insights into the convergent roles played by interrelated molecules and overlapping signaling pathways during the inflammatory, proliferative, and fibrotic cellular activities that are the hallmarks of fibroproliferation. The main cellular players in FPDs are fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Consequently, this article discusses integrins and the roles they play in cellular-extracellular matrix interactions. Also described are the signaling pathways that are known to participate in mechanosignaling: these include the transforming growth factor-β/Smad, mitogen-activated protein kinase, RhoA/ROCK, Wnt/β-catenin, and tumor necrosis factor-α/nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells pathways. Also outlined is the progress in our understanding of the cellular-extracellular matrix interactions that are associated with fibroproliferative mechanosignaling through matricellular proteins. The tensegrity and tensional homeostasis models are also discussed. A better understanding of the mechanosignaling pathways in the FPD microenvironment will almost certainly lead to the development of novel interventions that can prevent, reduce, or even reverse FPD formation and/or progression.

Evidence for a protein tether involved in somatic touch

The gating of ion channels by mechanical force underlies the sense of touch and pain. The mode of gating of mechanosensitive ion channels in vertebrate touch receptors is unknown. Here we show that the presence of a protein link is necessary for the gating of mechanosensitive currents in all low-threshold mechanoreceptors and some nociceptors of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Using TEM, we demonstrate that a protein filament with of length approximately 100 nm is synthesized by sensory neurons and may link mechanosensitive ion channels in sensory neurons to the extracellular matrix. Brief treatment of sensory neurons with non-specific and site-specific endopeptidases destroys the protein tether and abolishes mechanosensitive currents in sensory neurons without affecting electrical excitability. Protease-sensitive tethers are also required for touch-receptor function in vivo. Thus, unlike the majority of nociceptors, cutaneous mechanoreceptors require a distinct protein tether to transduce mechanical stimuli.

Mammalian somatosensory mechanotransduction

In the mammalian somatosensory system, mechanosensitive neurons mediate the senses of touch and pain. Among sensory modalities, mechanosensation has been the most elusive with regard to the identification of transduction molecules. One factor that has hindered the identification of transduction molecules is the diversity of neurons; physiological studies have revealed many subtypes of neurons, specialized to detect a variety of mechanical stimuli. Do different subtypes use the same transduction molecules that are modified by cellular context? Or, are there multiple mechanotransducers that specialize in sensing different mechanical stimuli? This review highlights recent progress in identifying and characterizing candidate molecular force transducers, as well as the development of new tools to characterize touch transduction at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels.

Interaction of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4, integrin, and SRC tyrosine kinase in mechanical hyperalgesia

Although the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) has been implicated in the process of osmomechanical transduction, it appears to make little contribution to the normal somatosensory detection of mechanical stimuli. However, evidence suggests that it may play an important role in mechanical hyperalgesia. In the present study, we examined the common requirement for TRPV4 in mechanical hyperalgesia associated with diverse pain models and investigated whether the very close association observed between TRPV4 and mechanical hyperalgesia, regardless of etiology, reflects a close functional connection of TRPV4 with other molecules implicated in mechanical transduction. In models of painful peripheral neuropathy associated with vincristine chemotherapy, alcoholism, diabetes, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome therapy, mechanical hyperalgesia was markedly reduced by spinal intrathecal administration of oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to TRPV4. Similarly, mechanical hyperalgesia induced by paclitaxel, vincristine, or diabetes was strongly reduced in TRPV4 knock-out mice. We also show that alpha2beta1 integrin and Src tyrosine kinase, which have been implicated in mechanical transduction, are important for the development of mechanical hyperalgesia, and that their contribution requires TRPV4. Furthermore, we establish a direct interaction between TRPV4, alpha2 integrin, and the Src tyrosine kinase Lyn in sensory neurons. We suggest that TRPV4 plays a role in mechanotransduction, as a component of a molecular complex that functions only in the setting of inflammation or nerve injury.

Cell responses to biomimetic protein scaffolds used in tissue repair and engineering

Basic science research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aims to investigate and understand the deposition, growth, and remodeling of tissues by drawing together approaches from a range of disciplines. This review discusses approaches that use biomimetic proteins and cellular therapies, both in the development of clinical products and of model platforms for scientific investigation. Current clinical approaches to repairing skin, bone, nerve, heart valves, blood vessels, ligaments, and tendons are described and their limitations identified. Opportunities and key questions for achieving clinical goals are discussed through commonly used examples of biomimetic scaffolds: collagen, fibrin, fibronectin, and silk. The key questions addressed by three-dimensional culture models, biomimetic materials, surface chemistry, topography, and their interaction with cells in terms of durotaxis, mechano-regulation, and complex spatial cueing are reviewed to give context to future strategies for biomimetic technology.