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PIEZO2 in sensory neurons and urothelial cells coordinates urination
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

PIEZO2 in sensory neurons and urothelial cells coordinates urination

Kara L Marshall, Dimah Saade, Nima Ghitani, Adam M Coombs, Marcin Szczot, Jason Keller, Tracy Ogata, Ihab Daou, Lisa T Stowers, Carsten G Bönnemann, …
Nature (London), Vol.588(7837), pp.290-295
12/2020
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2830-7
PMCID: PMC7725878
PMID: 33057202
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2830-7View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Henry Miller stated that "to relieve a full bladder is one of the great human joys". Urination is critically important in health and ailments of the lower urinary tract cause high pathological burden. Although there have been advances in understanding the central circuitry in the brain that facilitates urination , there is a lack of in-depth mechanistic insight into the process. In addition to central control, micturition reflexes that govern urination are all initiated by peripheral mechanical stimuli such as bladder stretch and urethral flow . The mechanotransduction molecules and cell types that function as the primary stretch and pressure detectors in the urinary tract mostly remain unknown. Here we identify expression of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO2 in lower urinary tract tissues, where it is required for low-threshold bladder-stretch sensing and urethral micturition reflexes. We show that PIEZO2 acts as a sensor in both the bladder urothelium and innervating sensory neurons. Humans and mice lacking functional PIEZO2 have impaired bladder control, and humans lacking functional PIEZO2 report deficient bladder-filling sensation. This study identifies PIEZO2 as a key mechanosensor in urinary function. These findings set the foundation for future work to identify the interactions between urothelial cells and sensory neurons that control urination.
Animals Female Humans Ion Channels - deficiency Ion Channels - metabolism Mechanotransduction, Cellular - physiology Mice Pressure Reflex - physiology Sensory Receptor Cells - metabolism Urinary Bladder - cytology Urinary Bladder - innervation Urinary Bladder - physiology Urinary Bladder - physiopathology Urinary Tract - innervation Urinary Tract - metabolism Urination - physiology Urothelium - cytology Urothelium - metabolism

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