Mechanotransduction in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Mechanotransduction is the conversion of a mechanical stimulus into a biological response and constitutes the basis for a plethora of fundamental biological processes such as the senses of touch, balance and hearing and contributes critically to development and homeostasis in all organisms. Recent, genetic and electrophysiological studies have shown that specialized macromolecular complexes, encompassing mechanically gated ion channels, play a central role in the transformation of mechanical forces into a cellular signal, which takes place in mechanosensory organs of diverse organisms. These complexes are highly efficient sensors, closely entangled with their surrounding environment. Such association appears essential for proper channel gating, and provides proximity of the mechanosensory apparatus to the source of triggering mechanical energy. Genetic and molecular evidence collected in model organisms such as the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the mouse highlight distinct classes of mechanically gated ion channels and interacting molecules, which are likely parts of the mechanotransducing apparatus. In this article, we review the progress towards deciphering mechanotransduction in C. elegans. The exceptional amenability of this simple worm to genetic and molecular manipulations has facilitated the dissection of a metazoan mechanotransducer complex to unprecedented detail.