PIEZO1

Piezo1 is a is_associated_with::mechanosensitive ion channel protein that in humans is encoded by the gene PIEZO1. Piezo1 and its close homolog piezo2 were cloned in 2010, using an is_associated_with::siRNA-based screen for mechanosensitive ion channels. Piezo1 and piezo2 share 47% identity with each other and they have no similarity to any other protein and contain no known protein domains. They are predicted to have 24-36 is_associated_with::transmembrane domains, depending on the prediction algorithm used. In the original publication the authors were careful not to call the piezo proteins is_associated_with::ion channels, but a more recent study by the same lab convincingly demonstrated that indeed piezo1 is the pore forming subunit of a mechanosensitive channel. Piezo1 is expressed in the lungs, bladder and skin, where mechanosensation has important biological roles. Unlike Piezo2 which is highly expressed in sensory is_associated_with::dorsal root ganglia, piezo1 is not expressed in sensory neurons. Piezo1 is also found in is_associated_with::red blood cells, and gain of function mutations in the channels are associated with hereditary xerocytosis or is_associated_with::stomatocytosis.,.