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Multiple Mechanisms of Regulation of Transient Receptor Potential Ion Channels by Cholesterol

Sara L Morales-Lázaro1, Tamara Rosenbaum1

  • 1Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.

Current Topics in Membranes
|September 3, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Cholesterol regulates transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, impacting cell physiology and sensory functions like temperature and chemical detection. This lipid molecule influences TRP channel activity through direct interaction and membrane organization.

Area of Science:

  • Ion channel physiology
  • Cell membrane biology
  • Sensory neuroscience

Background:

  • Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are polymodal receptors activated by various stimuli.
  • TRP channels are crucial for cell physiology in both neural and non-neural tissues.
  • Lipid compounds, including cholesterol, are known regulators of TRP ion channel function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss cholesterol's role as a regulator of TRP ion channel activity.
  • To highlight cholesterol's influence on thermosensation, chemosensation, and osmosensation.
  • To explore the mechanisms by which cholesterol modulates TRP channels.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on TRP channels and cholesterol.
  • Analysis of cholesterol's direct interactions with TRP channel amino acid sequences.
  • Investigation of cholesterol's role in recruiting TRP channels into membrane microdomains (lipid rafts/caveolae).

Main Results:

  • Cholesterol exerts both positive and negative regulatory effects on TRP ion channel activity.
  • Mechanisms include direct molecular interaction and altered channel localization within lipid rafts.
  • Cholesterol's modulation impacts sensory transduction pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Cholesterol is a significant regulator of TRP channel function.
  • Understanding cholesterol's role is key to comprehending thermosensation, chemosensation, and osmosensation.
  • Further research into lipid-protein interactions in ion channels is warranted.
Keywords:
CRAC motifCholesterolLipid modulationLipid raftsTRP channels

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