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Why the emperor penguin reigns where elephants shiver
Ana Cristina Nogueira Freitas1, Thomas Voets1
1Laboratory of Ion Channel Research (LICR), VIB-KU Leuven Centre for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
Accurate sensing of the environmental temperature is crucial for the survival and wellbeing of organisms. In vertebrates, the cold- and menthol-activated ion channel TRPM8 acts as the prime molecular sensor of cool temperatures. By comparing TRPM8 in vertebrates with different habitat temperatures, from elephants to penguins, Yang et al. identify key residues within the pore domain that determine the channel's cold sensitivity. Strikingly, mice engineered to express penguin TRPM8 show a remarkable tolerance to cold.
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