Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels mediate a variety of sensations including thermal stimuli. The channels also react to multiple ligands: for example, TRPV1 channels respond to heat as well as to ligands which elicit a hot sensation such as…
Blog Archives
Role for TRPV3 in Skin and Hair Renewal
Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels are a large superfamily of transmembrane proteins which, amongst other functions, help an organism to sense its environment. The TRPV1 channel –which is activated by heat and also by capsaicin, the pungent component of…
Ion Channels: Not an Open and Shut Case
Ion channels, proteins that regulate the transfer of ions across the cell membrane, can be broadly classified according to ‘gating mechanism’ – what makes the channel open and close. Voltage-gated channels respond to a voltage gradient across the plasma membrane…
Capacity for Physical Endurance comes at a Price
Energy-conserving mechanisms that evolved as protective measures in an environment of restricted food supply and high demand for physical activity promote obesity in times of abundant food and low physical activity. ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in heart and skeletal muscle…
Panic!
The body has no way to detect the absence of oxygen and feelings of suffocation are triggered instead by high levels of carbon dioxide. The ‘false-suffocation-alarm theory’ proposes that this alarm is triggered inappropriately in patients with panic disorder but,…
Quitting Smoking Could Get Less Painful
Smokers who use nicotine replacement products to help them quit smoking can experience local irritation at the site of application. It had been generally assumed that the irritation was caused by nicotine stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in sensory…
Not Channelling for Success
Globally, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects almost 200 million people and is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma – albeit several decades after initial infection. In a majority of cases, the virus is able to establish a persistent…
Nicotinic α-7 Receptors in Alzheimer’s Disease – On or Off?
A number of groups are developing nicotinic α-7 receptor agonists or partial agonists for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. It is believed that α-7 agonists may contribute to symptomatic treatment through cholinergic mechanisms and may also protect vulnerable neurons from…
P2X7 Antagonist Improves Recovery after Spinal Injury
Acute crush injury to the spinal cord is immediately followed by secondary tissue damage, linked to massive release of ATP and activation of high-affinity P2X7 receptors. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have previously shown that intraspinal injection…
TRPA1 Linked to Asthma
Asthma involves an immune response to inhaled allergens and chemical irritants, but the limited efficacy of existing treatments aimed at modifying this response suggest that additional physiological mechanisms may be at work in the disease process. In a report published…
