title: Roles of transient receptor potential channels in pain.
abstract: Pain perception begins with the activation of primary sensory nociceptors. Over the past decade, flourishing research has revealed that members of the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channel family are fundamental molecules that detect noxious stimuli and transduce a diverse range of physical and chemical energy into action potentials in somatosensory nociceptors. Here we highlight the roles of TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) and TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) in the activation of nociceptors by heat and cold environmental stimuli, mechanical force, and by chemicals including exogenous plant and environmental compounds as well as endogenous inflammatory molecules. The contribution of these channels to pain and somatosensation is discussed at levels ranging from whole animal behavior to molecular modulation by intracellular signaling proteins. An emerging theme is that TRP channels are not simple ion channel transducers of one or two stimuli, but instead serve multidimensional roles in signaling sensory stimuli that are exceptionally diverse in modality and in their environmental milieu.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. cstucky@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Stucky
authors.forename: Adrienne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Dubin
authors.forename: Nathaniel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Jeske
authors.forename: Sacha A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Malin
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: McKemy
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Story
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017487:Ankyrins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels / Q000502:physiology; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000502:physiology; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C491707:Ank1 protein, mouse; D017487:Ankyrins; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C493921:TRPV1 protein, mouse; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels; C116297:Trpm1 protein, mouse