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KCNQ potassium channels modulate sensitivity of skin D-hair mechanoreceptors

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Item Type:Article
Title:KCNQ potassium channels modulate sensitivity of skin D-hair mechanoreceptors
Creators Name:Schütze, S., Orozco, I.J. and Jentsch, T.J.
Abstract:M-current mediating KCNQ (Kv7) channels play an important role in regulating the excitability of neuronal cells, as highlighted by mutations in Kcnq2 and Kcnq3 that underlie certain forms of epilepsy. In addition to their expression in brain, KCNQ2 and 3 are also found in the somatosensory system. We have now detected both KCNQ2 and -3 in a subset of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons that correspond to D-hair A{delta}-fibers and demonstrate KCNQ3 expression in peripheral nerve endings of cutaneous D-hair follicles. Electrophysiological recordings from single D-hair afferents from Kcnq3-/- mice showed increased firing frequencies in response to mechanical ramp-and-hold stimuli. This effect was particularly pronounced at slow indentation velocities. Additional reduction of KCNQ2 expression further increased D-hair sensitivity. Together with previous work on the specific role of KCNQ4 in rapidly adapting skin mechanoreceptors, our results show that different KCNQ isoforms are specifically expressed in particular subsets of mechanosensory neurons and modulate their sensitivity directly in sensory nerve endings.
Keywords:Electrophysiology, Ion Channel, Mechanotransduction, Mouse Genetics, Neurobiology, Potassium Channel, M-Current, Skin-Nerve Preparation, Animals, Mice
Source:Journal of Biological Chemistry
ISSN:0021-9258
Publisher:American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Volume:291
Number:11
Page Range:5566-5575
Date:11 March 2016
Official Publication:https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.681098
PubMed:View item in PubMed

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