Piezo1 and Piezo2 are essential components of distinct mechanically activated cation channels.

Patapoutian and colleagues characterized the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature.  With Mathur, J.; Schmidt, M.; Earley, T. J.; Ranade, S.; Petrus, M. J.; Dubin, A. E.

See also:

Coste, Bertrand; Xiao, Bailong; Santos, Jose S.; Syeda, Ruhma; Grandl, Jörg; Spencer, Kathryn S.; Kim, Sung Eun; Schmidt, Manuela; Mathur, Jayanti; Dubin, Adrienne E.; Montal, Mauricio; Patapoutian, Ardem (February 19, 2012). "Piezo proteins are pore-forming subunits of mechanically activated channels". Nature. 483, 2012, 176-181.

Ranade, Sanjeev S.; Woo, Seung-Hyun; Dubin, Adrienne E.; Moshourab, Rabih A.; Wetzel, Christiane; Petrus, Matt; Mathur, Jayanti; Bégay, Valérie; Coste, Bertrand; Mainquist, James; Wilson, A. J. "Piezo2 is the major transducer of mechanical forces for touch sensation in mice". Nature. 516, 2014, 121–125.

In 2021 Patapoutian shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with David Julius “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”