Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PIEZO2gene.[5] It has a homotrimeric structure, with three blades curving into a nano-dome, with a diameter of 28 nanometers.[6]
Piezos are large transmembrane proteins conserved among various species, all having between 24 and 36 predicted transmembrane domains. 'Piezo' comes from the Greek 'piesi,' meaning 'pressure.' The PIEZO2 protein has a role in rapidly adapting mechanically activated (MA) currents in somatosensory neurons.[7] Its structure is resolved via a mouse version in 2019, showing the predicted homotrimeric propeller.[8]
PIEZO2 is typically found in cell types that respond to physical touch, such as Merkel cells,[9] and is thought to regulate light touch response.[10]
Pathology
Gain-of-function mutations in the mechanically activated ion channel PIEZO2 cause a subtype of Distal Arthrogryposis.[11]
Mice without PIEZO2 in their proprioceptive neurons show uncoordinated body movements, indicating that PIEZO2 plays a role in mammalian proprioception.[12]
Ahn MJ, Won HH, Lee J, Lee ST, Sun JM, Park YH, et al. (March 2012). "The 18p11.22 locus is associated with never smoker non-small cell lung cancer susceptibility in Korean populations". Human Genetics. 131 (3): 365–72. doi:10.1007/s00439-011-1080-z. PMID21866343. S2CID16395362.
