Front Cover; Piezo Channels; CURRENT TOPICS IN MEMBRANES, VOLUME 79; Piezo Channels; Contents; CONTRIBUTORS; PREFACE; One -- A Tour de Force: The Discovery, Properties, and Function of Piezo Channels; 1. BACKGROUND; 2. DISCOVERY OF PIEZO CHANNELS; 2.1 Identification of Piezo genes; 2.1.1 Neuro2A cell line produces mechanical current; 2.1.2 Identification of Piezo1 (FAM38a); 2.1.3 Piezo1 in the plasma membrane; 2.1.4 Heterologous expression; 2.1.5 Inhibitors of Piezo channels; 2.1.5.1 Small molecule; 2.1.5.2 Peptide; 2.1.5.3 Protein; 2.1.6 Distribution of Piezo1 and Piezo2

2.1.7 Bilayer reconstitution of Piezo12.2 Piezo1 functional stoichiometry; 2.3 Biophysical properties of mouse Piezo1; 2.3.1 Mouse Piezo1 inactivation; 2.3.2 Piezo channel clusters; 2.3.3 Effects of modulating the cytoskeleton; 2.3.4 Protonation of PIEZO1; 2.3.5 Diseases of piezo mechanical channels; 2.4 Chemical activation of Piezo1; 2.5 Cytoskeleton modulates Piezo1 function; 2.5.1 Tuning Piezo1 activity; 2.5.2 Filamin-A modulates Piezo1 function; 2.6 Cell motility and Piezo1; 2.6.1 Integrin activation and Piezo1 (Fam38a); 2.6.2 Breast cancer; 2.6.3 Prostate cancer

2.7 Piezo1's role in cell contact2.7.1 Lineage choice in neural stem cells; 2.7.2 Neuron-astrocyte interaction; 2.7.3 Cell homeostasis; 2.8 Functional role of Piezo; 2.8.1 Nociception of Drosophila larvae; 2.8.2 Shear stress response of Piezo1; 2.8.3 Calcium influx and ATP release; 2.8.4 Piezo2 and light touch; 2.8.4.1 Optogenetic approach; 2.8.4.2 Knockout approach; 2.8.4.3 Biochemical and knockdown approach; 2.9 Piezo2 channels in other roles; 2.9.1 Piezo2 in foraging duck; 2.9.2 Piezo2 in proprioception; 2.9.3 Piezo2 channels in the gut; 2.9.4 Piezo2 and pain; 3. CONCLUSION; ACKNOWLEDGMENT

4.6 Challenges for the Piezo1 sensor hypothesis4.7 How might activation of Piezo1 channels lead to vascular remodeling?; 4.8 Mutations in human PIEZO1 gene; 4.9 Relationships of Piezo1 to other candidate shear stress sensors; 5. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; REFERENCES; Three -- Origin of the Force: The Force-From-Lipids Principle Applied to Piezo Channels; 1. INTRODUCTION; 2. ORIGIN OF THE "FORCE-FROM-LIPIDS PRINCIPLE"; 2.1 Evolutionary origins of mechanosensitive channels; 2.2 Evolutionary timeline of MS channels; 2.3 Piezo evolution