Mechanosensory Transduction: Focus on Ion Channels ☆

Mechanosensory transduction is a fundamental process by which living cells convert environmental mechanical stimuli into relevant biological signals. This article highlights the major progress that has been achieved in studies of mechanosensitive (MS) channels, which play a prominent role in numerous mechanotransduction processes. We follow the history of MS channels from their conception to the determination of their molecular identity in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. In the first section we focus on mechanotransduction in microbial and plant cells and describe briefly the structure, function, gating mechanism and pharmacology of MS channels in these cells. In the second part we focus on the diversity of MS channels linked to mechanosensory transduction in multicellular organisms. We discuss the molecular models that have been put forward to explain MS channel activation, including the contributions of the bilayer and structural scaffold proteins, and highlight the mysteries that are yet to be solved. As well as providing information on general mechanisms of ion channel mechanosensitivity we look at some special cases including what is known about the role of MS channels in auditory transduction and the cardiovascular system. We conclude by highlighting the role that MS channels play in the pathology of a wide array of both hereditary and multifactorial diseases and discuss why this structurally diverse group of channels encompasses a number of viable and attractive pharmaceutical targets.