Mysterious family of proteins are cellular pressure sensors
Sunday, November 18, 2018 - 13:20
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have discovered that a mysterious family of cellular proteins called OSCAs and TMEM63s are a novel class of mechanosensitive ion channels. The scientists also deciphered the atomic structure of one member of the OSCA protein family, an advance that will allow them to study how these ion channels do their jobs, information that could be critical to identifying how dysfunctions in mechanosensing play a role in disease.