Piezo Type Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Component 2 (PIEZO2)

Piezos are large transmembrane proteins conserved among various species, all having between 24 and 36 predicted transmembrane domains. 'Piezo' comes from the Greek 'piesi,' meaning 'pressure.' The PIEZO2 protein has a role in rapidly adapting mechanically activated (MA) currents in somatosensory neurons.Human PIEZO2 comprises 2,521 amino acids and includes 31 transmembrane domains. Quantitative PCR of adult mouse tissues detected strongest Piezo2 expression in lung, bladder, and colon, and weaker expression in stomach, small intestine, skin, and kidney. Abundant expression was detected in dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons, suggesting a potential role in somatosensory mechanotransduction.mouse Neuro2A and HEK293T cells transfected with Piezo2 and gene-encoding GFP showed large MA currents.