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Thermosensation and TRP Channels
Makoto Tominaga1,2,3, Makiko Kashio4,5,6
1Division of Cell Signaling, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan. tominaga@nips.ac.jp.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|September 17, 2024
Summary
This study explores how thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in sensory neurons and skin cells detect temperature. It investigates the roles of specific TRP channels in sensing ambient heat and cold.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Sensory Physiology
Background:
- Somatosensory neurons detect external temperature, converting it into neural signals.
- Thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are crucial for thermal transduction in sensory neurons.
- These channels exhibit specialized gene expression patterns in different neuronal populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the roles of various thermosensitive TRP channels (TRPV1, TRPV4, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM8, TRPC5, TRPA1) in sensory neurons.
- To investigate the involvement of TRPV3 and TRPV4 in keratinocytes for sensing ambient skin temperature.
- To examine the role of hypothalamic TRPM2 in central thermosensation.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on thermosensitive TRP channels.
- Analysis of gene expression in somatosensory neurons and non-neuronal cells.
- Discussion of physiological roles in thermal sensation.
Main Results:
- Specific TRP channels (TRPV1, TRPV4, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM8, TRPC5, TRPA1) are expressed in sensory neurons and contribute to temperature sensing.
- TRPV3 and TRPV4 may enable skin keratinocytes to sense ambient temperature.
- TRPM2 in hypothalamic neurons is implicated in brain thermosensation.
Conclusions:
- Thermosensitive TRP channels are key molecular players in peripheral and central temperature detection.
- Both neuronal and non-neuronal cells, like keratinocytes, utilize TRP channels for somatosensation.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex mechanisms of thermosensation.
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