Can’t touch this…unless you’ve got ELKIN1!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Touch is central to being human. It allows us to navigate the world safely and connect with others. Touch requires physical forces to be turned into electrical signals our brains can recognize. What microscopic machinery might be responsible?
Sampurna Chakrabarti of the Helmholtz Association and team explored.
Researchers previously identified a tiny protein called ELKIN1 as a candidate for this process. This was consistently found in mice’s touch-detecting cells. Removing this protein made the mice about HALF as responsive to light touch. Only half of their sensory cells could generate electrical signals. Reintroducing ELKIN1 back into these cells restored their touch sensitivity!
What about people? Removing ELKIN1 from isolated human cells resulted in similar sensory deficits!
This discovery could lead to new treatments for common pain disorders.
Now we know what to thank for cuddles feeling so… cuddly!
Reference: Chakrabarti, S., Klich, J. D., Khallaf, M. A., Hulme, A. J., Sánchez-Carranza, O., Baran, Z. M., Rossi, A., Huang, A. T., Pohl, T., Fleischer, R., Fürst, C., Hammes, A., Bégay, V., Hörnberg, H., Finol-Urdaneta, R. K., Poole, K., Dottori, M., & Lewin, G. R. (2024). Touch sensation requires the mechanically gated ion channel ELKIN1. Science (New York, N.Y.), 383(6686), 992–998. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adl0495