SnapShot: Mammalian TRP Channels

SnapShot: Mammalian TRP Channels

Calcium Channels Formed by Mammalian Trp Homologues.

Homologues of Drosophila trp genes have been isolated from mammalian species in hope that they may constitute the molecular basis of capacitative Ca(2+) entry. Expression of Trps suggests that they form Ca(2+) influx channels regulated by either store depletion or a more upstream event. Store-operated Trp channels can be formed by heteromultimerization.

TRP channels and lipids: from Drosophila to mammalian physiology.

The transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family was the last major ion channel family to be discovered. The prototypical member (dTRP) was identified by a forward genetic approach in Drosophila, where it represents the transduction channel in the photoreceptors, activated downstream of a Gq-coupled PLC. In the meantime 29 vertebrate TRP isoforms are recognized, distributed amongst sev...

TRP channels.

The TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) superfamily of cation channels is remarkable in that it displays greater diversity in activation mechanisms and selectivities than any other group of ion channels. The domain organizations of some TRP proteins are also unusual, as they consist of linked channel and enzyme domains. A unifying theme in this group is that TRP proteins play critical roles in s...

TRP channels and thermosensation.

Recent years have seen great advances in the molecular description of sensory neurobiology. Of the five popularly characterized senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch), touch is perhaps the most varied and least understood. Within this modality is the ability to sense mechanical forces, chemical stimuli, and temperature, and the molecules that mediate this ability have been a long-stand...