PIEZO2 channels also appear in neurons that enervate the uterus, whereas PIEZO1 channels appear in cells in the uterus itself, Patapoutian and his team reported in November. Control mice delivered all of their pups within two hours, but five out of seven double-knockout mice did not finish labor within 24 hours. The double knockouts also had weaker contractions than the control mice. — — Ardem PatapoutianThe intertwined sensory processes that detect blood pressure and blood volume are hard to study independently, and they had been “mysterious for so long,” says Liberles, professor of cell biology. Mice lacking PIEZO2 in their JG cells have higher blood levels of renin than control mice do.