TRPA1 Acts As a Cold Sensor in Vitro and in Vivo

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2009 Jan 16

PMID 19144922

Citations 290

Authors

Yuji Karashima

Karel Talavera

Wouter Everaerts

Annelies Janssens

Kelvin Y Kwan

Rudi Vennekens

Bernd Nilius

Thomas Voets

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

TRPA1 functions as an excitatory ionotropic receptor in sensory neurons. It was originally described as a noxious cold-activated channel, but its cold sensitivity has been disputed in later studies, and the contribution of TRPA1 to thermosensing is currently a matter of strong debate. Here, we provide several lines of evidence to establish that TRPA1 acts as a cold sensor in vitro and in vivo. First, we demonstrate that heterologously expressed TRPA1 is activated by cold in a Ca(2+)-independent and Ca(2+) store-independent manner; temperature-dependent gating of TRPA1 is mechanistically analogous to that of other temperature-sensitive TRP channels, and it is preserved after treatment with the TRPA1 agonist mustard oil. Second, we identify and characterize a specific subset of cold-sensitive trigeminal ganglion neurons that is absent in TRPA1-deficient mice. Finally, cold plate and tail-flick experiments reveal TRPA1-dependent, cold-induced nociceptive behavior in mice. We conclude that TRPA1 acts as a major sensor for noxious cold.

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