Structural Response of the Piezo Channel to Force Application at Different Frequencies

Abstract

Piezo proteins are the major mechanosensitive ion channels in mammalians that translate the mechanical cues into electrical signals. Recent functional studies have revealed they act as frequency filters of repetitive mechanical stimuli. However, a structural view of the channel's response upon exposure to repetitive force at various frequencies remains elusive. Previously, we demonstrated that high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is an excellent tool to visualize the force-induced conformational changes in Piezo1.