Touch-induced mechanical strain in somatosensory neurons is independent of extracellular matrix mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

We visualized and measured touch-induced mechanical strain in somatosensory neurons in vivo and found that mutations affecting links between the extracellular matrix and the touch receptor neurons had little effect on strain transmission. The findings suggest that bulk tissue mechanics play an important role in transmitting the energy carried in a touch.