TRP Channels

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TRP Channels

Emily R Liman, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Published online: September 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020292

Full Article on Wiley Online Library

Abstract
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References

The first member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels was identified as a key component of phototransduction in the fly photoreceptor. Since that time, 28 mammalian members of the family have been identified, many of which play important roles in sensory physiology. Most remarkably, some of these channels are directly gated by temperature.

Keywords: ion channel; temperature; sensory; phospholipase C; calcium

References
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Further Reading
	Dhaka A, Viswanath V and Patapoutian A (2006) Trp ion channels and temperature sensation. Annual Review of Neuroscience 29: 135–161.
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	Voets T, Droogmans G, Wissenbach U et al. (2004) The principle of temperature-dependent gating in cold- and heat-sensitive TRP channels. Nature 430: 748–754.

Article Title:	TRP Channels
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	Figure 1. Sensory transduction with TRPs. (a) G protein-coupled receptor activates phospholipase C (PLC), which catalyses the hydrolysis of phosphatidyl inositol(4,5)bisphosphate to inositol trisphosphate (IP₃) and DAG. In the photoreceptor, TRP and TRPL channels are activated downstream of this signalling pathway, and they carry inward current that depolarizes the cell. In the VNO-sensory neuron, TRPC2 is activated downstream of this signalling cascade. In both cases, transduction occurs on microvilli devoid of Ca²⁺ store. (b) In taste cells, a similar signalling pathway leads to release of Ca²⁺ from intracellular stores. TRPM5 channels are distributed throughout the plasma membrane and are gated by the elevation of intracellular Ca²⁺.
	Figure 2. Family of TRP channels. Homology relationships among the 28 mammalian TRP channels. For comparison, the relationship with the two Drosophila channels and the TRPN channel from zebrafish is shown. Colours indicate the grouping of subfamily members.
	Figure 3. Thermo TRPs. (a) Approximate temperature range over which different thermo TRPs are active. (b) Bottom panel shows the electrical response of a cold-activated channel (TRPM8) and warm-activated channel (TRPV1). Both channels carry an inward current at the resting potential of the cell, but have opposite responses to temperature.

TRP Channels

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