生物谷报道：触觉是由皮肤中的很多机械受体调控的。现在，研究人员首次在一种脊椎动物身上发现了一种分子，该分子的功能是这一初级传导活动所必需的。这一研究结果发表在最新一期的《Nature》上。
在活体试验中，膜蛋白SLP3（stomatin-like protein 3）是小鼠的机械受体功能所必需的，也是机械传感通道发挥功能所必需的。这一蛋白是哺乳动物中mec-2蛋白的同系物。SLP3还调控以前被发现与触觉相关的离子通道，所以它可能是哺乳动物触觉传感器的一个亚单元。
FIGURE 1. Mechanically insensitive primary afferents.
a, The electrical search protocol is illustrated in the insets. Note the increase in mechanically insensitive A fibres in SLP3-/- mice (asterisk, P < 0.05 (A ); two asterisks, P < 0.005 (A ); 2 test), but no change in mechanosensitive C fibres; n = 18–31 mice per genotype. WT, wild-type. b, Using the illustrated mechanical search protocol no significant difference (P > 0.05; 2 test) in the proportions of mechanoreceptor types in A , A (AM) and C fibres was found; n = 8–10 mice per genotype. RA, rapidly adapting; SA, slowly adapting; C-M, C-mechanonociceptor; C-MH, C-mechanoheat nociceptor. c, Increase in the proportion of RAM fibres in SLP3-/- with a tap response (two asterisks, P < 0.005; 2 test). d, Normal stimulus response functions of C-fibre nociceptors in SLP3-/- mice. Black circles, SLP3+/+; red triangles, SLP3-/-. The number of neurons recorded is indicated in parentheses in each panel. Error bars indicate s.e.m.
原文出处：
Volume 445 Number 7124 January 11，2007
A stomatin-domain protein essential for touch sensation in the mouse p206
Christiane Wetzel, Jing Hu, Dieter Riethmacher, Anne Benckendorff, Lena Harder, Andreas Eilers, Rabih Moshourab, Alexey Kozlenkov, Dominika Labuz, Ombretta Caspani, Bettina Erdmann, Halina Machelska, Paul A. Heppenstall and Gary R. Lewin
doi:10.1038/nature05394
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (383K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
相关基因：
mec-2
MEChanosensory abnormality [Caenorhabditis elegans]
Other Aliases: F14D12.4
Other Designations: MEChanosensory abnormality family member (mec-2)
Chromosome: X
GeneID: 180826
