Touch and temperature: How special fats fine-tune our senses

Our ability to feel a harmful touch or sense dangerous heat relies on specialized receptor proteins embedded in nerve cell membranes. But how do these receptors maintain their exquisite sensitivity? In a new study, researchers identified ether phospholipids (ePLs) as key regulators that optimize the function of different sensory receptors, enabling precise responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli in fruit flies—findings with potential implications for human sensory systems. The paper is published in the journal iScience.