Title:Mechanotransductive Receptor Piezo1 as a Promising Target in the
Treatment of Neurological Diseases
Volume: 21
Issue: 10
Author(s): Natalia Bryniarska-Kubiak, Andrzej Kubiak and Agnieszka Basta-Kaim*
Affiliation:
- Laboratory of Immunoendocrinology, Department of Experimental Neuroendocrinology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology,
Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna St., Kraków, 31-343, Poland
Keywords:
Piezo1 receptor, Alzheimer's disease, ischemic stroke, GsMTx4, mechanotransduction, biomechanics.
Abstract: In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the role of physical factors in biological
processes. This direction was ultimately confirmed by the recent 2021 Nobel Prize in medicine and
physiology awarded in ½ to Ardem Patapoutian for his discovery of Piezo1 and Piezo2 mechanosensitive
receptors. Among them, Piezo2 is responsible for sensing touch, while Piezo1 is engaged in a variety
of mechanotransduction events. Piezo1 is expressed in various central nervous system cells,
while its expression may be affected in the course of various pathological conditions. Recently, thanks
to the development of Piezo1 modulators (i.e. Yoda1, Jedi1/2 and Dooku2), it is possible to study the
role of Piezo1 in the pathogenesis of various neurological diseases including ischemia, glioma, and
age-related dementias. The results obtained in this field suggest that proper modulation of Piezo1 receptor
might be beneficial in the course of various neurological diseases.