Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments
07:53

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments

Published on: January 16, 2024

4.6K

Retinal TRP channels: Cell-type-specific regulators of retinal homeostasis and multimodal integration

David Križaj1, Soenke Cordeiro2, Olaf Strauß3

  • 1Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurobiology, and Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.

Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
|September 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are crucial for vision, mediating essential functions in retinal cells. Their roles in visual processing and disease pathogenesis highlight their importance in eye health.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a large family of ion channels involved in sensing physical and chemical stimuli.
  • They are grouped into six families (TRPC, TRPV, TRPM, TRPA, TRPML, TRPP) and are expressed throughout the body, including the central nervous system.
  • TRP channels play vital roles in sensory transduction, including mechanosensation, nociception, chemosensing, thermosensing, and phototransduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the expression and function of TRP channels in vertebrate retinas.
  • To highlight the critical roles of specific TRP channels in visual processes and retinal barrier regulation.
  • To discuss the implications of TRP channel involvement in retinal diseases and potential therapeutic strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of current knowledge on TRP channel expression and function in vertebrate retinas.
  • Analysis of evidence linking specific TRP subunits (e.g., TRPM1, TRPC6/7, TRPV4) to retinal functions.
  • Examination of the role of TRP channels in modulating intracellular calcium concentrations and their involvement in disease pathogenesis.

Main Results:

  • TRP channels are expressed in all retinal cells and are critical for visual transduction and transmission.
  • Specific TRP channels mediate key functions such as ON bipolar cell signaling (TRPM1), ganglion cell phototransduction (TRPC6/7), and blood-retina barrier regulation (TRPV4).
  • TRP channels modulate both light-dependent and independent retinal functions by regulating intracellular calcium levels.

Conclusions:

  • TRP channels are integral to vertebrate vision, influencing diverse retinal functions.
  • Dysfunction or over-activation of TRP channels is implicated in serious eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and ocular trauma.
  • Further understanding of TRP channel roles in retinal biology offers potential for novel therapeutic interventions for vision disorders.

More Related Videos

Immunohistochemical and Calcium Imaging Methods in Wholemount Rat Retina08:54

Immunohistochemical and Calcium Imaging Methods in Wholemount Rat Retina

Published on: October 13, 2014

14.6K
Transpupillary Two-Photon In Vivo Imaging of the Mouse Retina09:03

Transpupillary Two-Photon In Vivo Imaging of the Mouse Retina

Published on: February 13, 2021

4.4K

Related Concept Videos

The Retina01:32

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
69.6K
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
2.6K
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category,...
6.3K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle...
7.4K