Gene variant gives mice super-powered tendons for jumping and running

Amazing stuff! When will it be available for humans? Why are some sprinters so much better than others (it is not the skin color)!

The PIEZO1 is apparently also involved with the mechanical itch.

"... have discovered a genetic mutation that gives tendons the ability to store more energy, letting mice jump higher and reach faster speeds than usual ... Preliminary data on humans suggests that the gene variant, which is in a sensor protein known as PIEZO1, might play a similar role in people. ...
potential to be a therapeutic target for treating age-related declines in physical performance ...
Mice with the genetic change in all their cells, or in tendons alone, could jump about one and a half times further than other mice. ... could reach higher top speeds. ...
Among 91 Jamaican sprinters in the Athlome database, 46% had one copy of PIEZO1 with the tendon-impacting mutation and 8% had two copies of the mutation. Among Jamaican students who had not competed in track events, 31% had one version of the mutation and only 2% had two copies. Data on Greek athletes showed similar trends, with 3 to 5 times more sprinters having two copies of the mutation than controls, and 1.3 to 1.75 times more sprinters having one copy of the mutation compared to controls. ..."

From the abstract:

"How mechanical stress affects physical performance via tendons is not fully understood. Piezo1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel, and E756del PIEZO1 was recently found as a gain-of-function variant that is common in individuals of African descent. We generated tendon-specific knock-in mice using R2482H Piezo1, a mouse gain-of-function variant, and found that they had higher jumping abilities and faster running speeds than wild-type or muscle-specific knock-in mice. These phenotypes were associated with enhanced tendon anabolism via an increase in tendon-specific transcription factors, Mohawk and Scleraxis, but there was no evidence of changes in muscle. Biomechanical analysis showed that the tendons of R2482H Piezo1 mice were more compliant and stored more elastic energy, consistent with the enhancement of jumping ability. These phenotypes were replicated in mice with tendon-specific R2482H Piezo1 replacement after tendon maturation, indicating that PIEZO1 could be a target for promoting physical performance by enhancing function in mature tendon. The frequency of E756del PIEZO1 was higher in sprinters than in population-matched nonathletic controls in a small Jamaican cohort, suggesting a similar function in humans. Together, this human and mouse genetic and physiological evidence revealed a critical function of tendons in physical performance, which is tightly and robustly regulated by PIEZO1 in tenocytes."

Gene variant gives mice super-powered tendons for jumping and running | Scripps Research Scripps Research scientists discovered that a mutation in the touch-sensitive PIEZO1 ion channel impacts tendon biology and boosts the physical performance of mice.

The mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 is expressed in tendons and regulates physical performance (no public access)