title: Peripheral thermosensation in mammals.
abstract: Our ability to perceive temperature is crucial: it enables us to swiftly react to noxiously cold or hot objects and helps us to maintain a constant body temperature. Sensory nerve endings, upon depolarization by temperature-gated ion channels, convey electrical signals from the periphery to the CNS, eliciting a sense of temperature. In the past two decades, we have witnessed important advances in our understanding of mammalian thermosensation, with the identification and animal-model assessment of candidate molecular thermosensors - such as types of transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels - involved in peripheral thermosensation. Ongoing research aims to understand how these miniature thermometers operate at the cellular and molecular level, and how they can be pharmacologically targeted to treat pain without disturbing vital thermoregulatory processes.
authors: Laboratory of Experimental Gynaecology, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 BOX 611, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Joris
authors: J
authors: Vriens
authors: Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 BOX 802, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Nilius
authors: Laboratory of Ion Channel Research and TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe), KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 BOX 802, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Voets
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels