More Than Just Closed and Open: Unraveling a Mechanosensor

The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) is a well-studied model of how mechanical forces from the membrane can be sensed by an em-bedded protein. A recent study by Zhang et al. visualizes how MscS behaves under membrane tension, entering a desensitized state when it loses all coordinated lipids.

Automated summary

The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) enters a desensitized state when it loses all coordinated lipids under membrane tension, as visualized in a recent study by Zhang et al.