Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2025
10:11
Temperature-Controlled Assembly and Characterization of a Droplet Interface Bilayer
Published on: April 19, 2021
3.7K
Biomimicking TRPM8: A Conversely Temperature-Dependent Nonionic Retrorse Nanochannel for Ion Flow Control
Tao Yang1,2, Zelin Yang1,2, Weiwen Xin3
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology and Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|April 29, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed a novel TRPM8-inspired nanochannel that closes in response to heat, unlike previous designs. This biomimetic ion channel acts as a thermal gate, controlling substance transport and offering new microscopic technology for thermal management.
Area of Science:
- Biomimetic materials science
- Nanotechnology
- Ion channel research
Background:
- Ion channels are vital for cellular transport and signaling.
- Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channels sense heat and cold, respectively.
- Existing artificial nanochannels primarily mimic TRPV1 and lack backward heat response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct a TRPM8-inspired "retrorse nanochannel" with heat-closing capabilities.
- To investigate the thermal response and transport control properties of the novel nanochannel.
- To explore applications in managing thermal effects on substance and signal delivery.
Main Methods:
- Internal modification of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile) [P(AAm-co-AN)] with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST).
- Characterization of nanochannel response to temperature variations (25-40 °C).
- Assessment of ion and substance transport control via the biomimetic thermal gate.
Main Results:
- The P(AAm-co-AN) nanochannels demonstrated rapid, stable, and reversible heat-induced closing.
- The nanochannels exhibited converse temperature dependence within the 25-40 °C range.
- The biomimetic channel effectively controlled ion and substance transport as a thermal gate.
Conclusions:
- A novel TRPM8-inspired "retrorse nanochannel" was successfully constructed.
- The nanochannel functions as a precise and reversible thermal gate for transport control.
- This technology holds promise for microscopic thermal management in fluids, energy, and signal transmission.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
6.4K
Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
6.4K
01:24Non-gated Ion Channels
6.8K
Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
6.8K
01:43Thermosensation
30.4K
Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
30.4K
01:21The Resting Membrane Potential
131.9K
Overview
131.9K
01:26Voltage-gated Ion Channels
8.2K
Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several...
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several...
8.2K
01:30Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
2.2K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
2.2K