Figure 4: Mechanotransduction currents in DRG neurons from stoml3^−/− mice.

(a) Acutely isolated DRG neurons expressing STOML3-mGFP (green) cultured on a pillar array coated with EHS laminin/Cy3 (magenta); scale bar 20 μm. (b) STOML3-mGFP is targeted preferentially to contact points; the insert indicates line scan of intensity corresponding to the yellow line (similar observations made in eight cells, from three transfections, on eight pillar arrays); scale bar 20 μm. (c) In stoml3^−/− DRG neurons, we observed RA, IA and SA currents. (d–f) All data were binned into stimulus sizes and current amplitudes were averaged for each bin and compared between C57Bl/6 mice and stoml3^−/− mice. Data are displayed as mean±s.e.m. (d) Type I mechanoreceptors from C57Bl/6 mice (n=9 cells) versus stoml3^−/− mice (n=7 cells). (e) Type II mechanoreceptors isolated from C57Bl/6 mice (n=8 cells) versus stoml3^−/− mice (n=8 cells). (f) Nociceptors from C57Bl/6 mice (n=13 cells) versus stoml3^−/− mice (n=9 cells). To test for significance Student's t-test was used; *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001. Data were obtained for cells cultured on arrays where k=290 pN nm⁻¹.