Reevaluation of Piezo1 as a gut RNA sensor.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36382883.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.83346 and PMC identifier 9691018.
- Licence recorded as CC0.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Piezo1 is a stretch-gated ion channel required for mechanosensation in many organ systems. Recent findings point to a new role for Piezo1 in the gut, suggesting that it is a sensor of microbial single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) rather than mechanical force. If true, this would redefine the scope of Piezo biology. Here, we sought to replicate the central finding that fecal ssRNA is a natural agonist of Piezo1. While we observe that fecal extracts and ssRNA can stimulate calcium influx in certain cell lines, this response is independent of Piezo1. Additionally, sterilized dietary extracts devoid of gut biome RNA show similar cell line-specific stimulatory activity to fecal extracts. Together, our data highlight potential confounds inherent to gut-derived extracts, exclude Piezo1 as a receptor for ssRNA in the gut, and support a dedicated role for Piezo channels in mechanosensing.
Medical subject headings
- RNA
- Ion Channels