Mice mechanoreceptors are modulated by Ca<sub>v</sub>3.2 T-type calcium channels

Bolaños-Jiménez, Rodrigo; Escamilla-Ocañas, César; Martínez-Menchaca, Héctor; Rivera-Silva, Gerardo

doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221507

Mice mechanoreceptors are modulated by Ca<sub>v</sub>3.2 T-type calcium channels

Journal

The Journal of Physiology

ISSN

0022-3751

Date Issued

2011

Author(s)

Bolaños-Jiménez, Rodrigo

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud - CampCM

Escamilla-Ocañas, César

Martínez-Menchaca, Héctor

Rivera-Silva, Gerardo

Type

text::journal::journal article

DOI

10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221507

URL

https://scripta.up.edu.mx/handle/20.500.12552/2381

Abstract

Mechanoreceptors are sensory receptors that respond to mechanical displacement and provide the senses of touch, pressure, vibration and proprioception. Mice have three types of low-threshold mechanoreceptors: slowly adapting mechanoreceptors (SAMs), rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors (RAMs) and D-hair receptors (Driscoll & Tavernarakis, 2000). D-hair receptors are the end-terminal of type Aδ fibre axons and present a high sensitivity and ultra-rapid temporal detection of slowly moving stimuli. The mRNA expression for the T-type voltage-gated calcium channel Cav3.2 is the only marker defined for mechanoreceptors and found almost exclusively in D-hair receptors. The Cav3.2 gene encodes one of the three low-voltage-activated (LVA) Ca2+ channels (Cav3.1, Cav3.2 and Cav3.3) and are all expressed by sensory neurons in the DRG (Iftinca et al. 2007).