Topic: mechanoreceptors

Sensory neurons of the vagus nerve monitor distention and stretch in the gastrointestinal tract. We used genetically guided anatomical tracing, optogenetics and electrophysiology to identify and characterize two vagal sensory neuronal subtypes expressing Prox2 and Runx3. We show that these neuronal subtypes innervate the esophagus where they display regionalized innervation patterns. Electrophysiological analyses showed that they are both low threshold mechanoreceptors but possess different adaptation properties. Lastly, genetic ablation of Prox2 and Runx3 neurons demonstrated their essential

Ali Weber (University of Washington, USA) uses the the hawkmoth as a model system, to investigate how information from a small number of mechanoreceptors on the wings are used in flight control. She employs a combination of experimental and computational techniques to study how these sensors respond during flight and how one might optimally array a set of these sensors to best provide feedback during flight.

The vagus nerve contains a diversity of sensory neurons that detect peripheral stimuli such as blood pressure changes at the aortic arch, lung expansion during breathing, meal-induced stomach distension, and chemotherapeutics that induce nausea. Underlying vagal sensory mechanisms are largely unresolved at a molecular level, presenting tremendously important problems in sensory biology. We charted vagal sensory neurons by single cell RNA sequencing, identifying novel cell surface receptors and classifying a staggering diversity of sensory neuron types. We then generated a collection of ires-Cr

The tactile system is capable of discerning various textures, the distance to an object, shape, or even the velocity of a moving object. The versatility of this system is due to, at least partially, the heterogeneous population of mechanoreceptors that lies within the skin. In the whisker system this is achieved via three three types of mechanoreceptors (MR) in the whisker follicle: Slowly Adapting type 1 (SA1), Slowly Adapting type 2 (SA2), and Rapidly Adapting (RA) [1]. In this study, we aim to understand the role of these different types of MRs in stimulus representation. We fit Adaptive Ex