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Sci. Signal., 20 March 2012
Vol. 5, Issue 216, p. ec90
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003048]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Mechanosensation Telling Sandpaper from Satin

Pamela J. Hines

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Pacinian corpuscles are mechanoreceptors tuned to detect high-frequency, low-amplitude signals. Found in human palm and fingertips, they are useful for discrimination of rough and smooth textures, a sensitivity seemingly amplified by the ridges of fingerprints. Wende et al. identified a mutation in humans that disrupts this sensitivity to texture but leaves other facets of touch, such as tactile spatial acuity, intact.

H. Wende, S. G. Lechner, C. Cheret, S. Bourane, M. E. Kolanczyk, A. Pattyn, K. Reuter, F. L. Munier, P. Carroll, G. R. Lewin, C. Birchmeier, The transcription factor c-Maf controls touch receptor development and function. Science 335, 1373–1376 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: P. J. Hines, Telling Sandpaper from Satin. Sci. Signal. 5, ec90 (2012).

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