# Molecular Mechanisms of Stomach Stretch Sensing

> **NIH NIH F32** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2020 · $61,826

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Unlike sight, taste and smell, mechanical senses extend beyond a single sensory organ, and
encompass processes as diverse as hearing, touch, and interoception. Despite their physiological importance,
the molecular identity of mechanotransduction channels has been mostly unknown. Our lab discovered the first
vertebrate mechanically gated cation channels, PIEZO1 & 2, which are critical for many aspects of
mechanosensation. We have shown that PIEZO2 plays a critical role in detecting touch, proprioception and
lung stretch. Whether PIEZO ion channels play important roles in other forms of internal-organ
mechanotransduction is not known.
 Stretch sensing in the stomach is known to contribute to satiety and downstream digestion processes,
yet the molecular identity of stomach stretch sensors is unknown. Preliminary data suggests that stomach
stretch-sensing neurons express PIEZO ion channels. This proposal will determine how PIEZO ion channels
contribute to stomach mechanosensing, and importantly, define how stretch signals from the stomach impact
feeding behavior and downstream physiology.
 Interoceptive processes rely on monitoring a combination of chemical and mechanical stimuli. Parsing
the precise role of mechanotransduction in these systems is difficult without a molecular handle. For example,
the role of mechanosensation in breathing was not defined until PIEZO2 deficiency was analyzed. The exact
contribution of mechanical signals to eating is undefined and similarly complicated, but could have important
consequences for understanding feeding circuits, weight gain, and metabolic disease. This is the first step to
enable the study of how mechanical forces are encoded in the CNS to impact diverse physiological systems.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9948482
- **Project number:** 5F32DK121494-02
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Kara L Marshall
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $61,826
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2021-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9948482

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9948482, Molecular Mechanisms of Stomach Stretch Sensing (5F32DK121494-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9948482. Licensed CC0.

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