Knecht, Z.A., Gaudet, R., Garrity, P.A. (2015). The Touching Tail of a Mechanotransduction Channel.  Cell 162(6): 1214--1216.

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Note

In mechanotransduction, sensory receptors convert force into electrical signals to mediate such diverse functions as touch, pain, and hearing. In this issue of Cell, Zhang et al. present evidence that the fly NompC channel senses mechanical stimuli using its N-terminal tail as a tether between the cell membrane and microtubules.