title: The TRPV4 channel: structure-function relationship and promiscuous gating behaviour.
abstract: Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels provide an enormous variability of Ca(2+) influx mechanisms triggered by a wide range of stimuli. In this review, we discuss the activation properties of the Ca(2+)- and Mg(2+)-permeable TRP channel of the vanilloid subfamily TRPV4. This channel is activated by various physical and chemical stimuli, such as cell swelling, heat, phorbols and, probably, by endogenous ligands, which are able to induce Ca(2+) entry. Not much is known about the regulation of this channel. We will refer only to a mechanism of Ca(2+)-dependent inhibition of TRPV4. Possible functional roles of this channel will be correlated with its observed expression pattern. Finally, we discuss the structural determinants of TRPV4 channel function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. bernd.nilius@med.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nilius
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vriens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008024:Ligands; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels
chemical_list: D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008024:Ligands; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C416986:TRPV4 protein, human; D002118:Calcium