Abstract
Cells from different organs in the body experience a range of mechanical and osmotic pressures that change in various diseases, including neurological, cardiovascular, ophthalmological, and renal diseases. Here, we demonstrate the use of an engineered Sensor-Actuator-Modulator (SAM) of microbial origin derived from a mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) for sensing external mechanical stress and modulating activities of mammalian cells. SAM is reliably expressed in the mammalian cell membrane and acts as a tension-activated pressure release valve. Further, the activities of heterologously expressed SAM in mammalian cells could be modulated by osmotic pressure. A comparison of the mechanosensitive activities of SAM-variants from different microbial origins shows differential inward current and dye uptake in response to mechanical stress exerted by hypo-osmotic shock. The use of SAM channels as mechanical stress-activated modulators in mammalian cells could provide new therapeutic approaches for treating disorders related to mechanical or osmotic pressure.