title: A role of the transient receptor potential domain of vanilloid receptor I in channel gating.
abstract: Transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (TRPV1) is an ionotropic receptor activated by temperature and chemical stimuli. The C-terminal region that is adjacent to the channel gate, recognized as the TRP domain, is a molecular determinant of receptor assembly. However, the role of this intracellular domain in channel function remains elusive. Here, we show that replacement of the TRP domain of TRPV1 with the cognate region of TRPV channels (TRPV2-TRPV6) did not affect receptor assembly and trafficking to the cell surface, although those receptors containing the TRP domain of the distantly related TRPV5 and TRPV6 did not display ion channel activity. Notably, functional chimeras exhibited an impaired sensitivity to the activating stimuli, consistent with a significant contribution of this protein domain to channel function. At variance with TRPV1, voltage-dependent gating of chimeric channels could not be detected in the absence of capsaicin and/or heat. Biophysical analysis of functional chimeras revealed that the TRP domain appears to act as a molecular determinant of the activation energy of channel gating. Together, these findings uncover a role of the TRP domain in intersubunit interactions near the channel gate that contribute to the coupling of stimulus sensing to channel opening.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: García-Sanz
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomis
authors.forename: Asia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Carvajal
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fernández-Ballester
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Belmonte
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrer-Montiel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D021122:Protein Subunits; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C493921:TRPV1 protein, mouse