Calcium-impermeable monovalent cation channels: a TRP connection?
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Artemin, a neuronal survival factor in the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family, binds the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein GFRalpha3 and the receptor tyrosine kinase Ret. Expression of the GFRalpha3 receptor is primarily restricted to the peripheral nervous system and is found in a subpopulation of nociceptive sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) that coexpress the Ret and TrkA receptor tyrosine kinases and the thermosensitive channel TRPV1. To determine how artemin affects sensory neuron properties, transgenic mice that overexpress artemin in skin keratinocytes (ART-OE mice) were analyzed. Expression of artemin caused a 20.5% increase in DRG neuron number and increased the level of mRNA encoding GFRalpha3, TrkA, TRPV1, and the putative noxious cold-detecting channel TRPA1. Nearly all GFRalpha3-positive neurons expressed TRPV1 immunoreactivity, and most of these neurons were also positive for TRPA1. Interestingly, acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC) 1, 2a, 2b, and 3 mRNAs were decreased in the DRG, and this reduction was strongest in females. Analysis of sensory neuron physiological properties using an ex vivo preparation showed that cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors of ART-OE mice had reduced heat thresholds and increased firing rates in response to a heat ramp. No change in mechanical threshold was detected. Behavioral testing of ART-OE mice showed that they had increased sensitivity to both heat and noxious cold. These results indicate that the level of artemin in the skin modulates gene expression and response properties of afferents that project to the skin and that these changes lead to behavioral sensitivity to both hot and cold stimuli.
BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the phenotype of afferents that innervate the uterine cervix. Chronic estrogen sensitizes uterine cervical afferents to mechanical distension, but whether this reflects changes in afferent neurotransmitter or excitatory ion channel expression is unknown. The authors used immunocytochemistry to characterize uterine cervical afferents and the effects of estrogen on them. METHODS: Fluorogold was injected into the uterine cervix of intact rats (n = 7) and those with ovariectomy alone (n = 9) or with estrogen supplementation (n = 8). Bilateral dorsal root ganglia at T12-L2 were removed and immunostained for transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), P2X3 receptor, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and somatostatin. The proportion of fluorogold-traced dorsal root ganglion neurons expressing each of these markers was compared with untraced neurons. RESULTS: Most fluorogold-traced cells were found at L1 (> 55%) and were of small diameter (24 microm). TRPV1 expression was similar between traced and untraced cells, except the estrogen treatment increased TRPV1 expression in traced cells. Calcitonin gene-related peptide expression was greater in traced than in untraced cells, with no effect of experimental treatment. No traced cells expressed the P2X3 receptor or somatostatin, although each of these was present in untraced cells. CONCLUSION: Uterine cervical afferents in the hypogastric nerve express TRPV1, an important nociceptive channel, which may play a role in estrogen-induced sensitization of cervical afferents. High expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide suggests a sensory and efferent role for this peptide. In contrast to other viscera, these afferents do not express somatostatin or P2X3 receptor, indicating a unique phenotype of these C fibers.
We have investigated the nature of the Ca2+ entry supporting [Ca2+]i oscillations in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells by examining the roles of recently described store-operated Ca2+ entry proteins, Stim1 and Orai1. Knockdown of Stim1 by RNA interference (RNAi) reduced the frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations in response to a low concentration of methacholine to the level seen in the absence of external Ca2+. However, knockdown of Stim1 did not block oscillations in canomical transient receptor potential 3 channel (TRPC3)-expressing cells and did not affect Ca2+ entry in response to arachidonic acid. The effects of knockdown of Stim1 could be reversed by inhibiting Ca2+ extrusion with a high concentration of Gd3+, or by rescuing the knockdown by overexpression of Stim1. Similarly, knockdown of Orai1 abrogated [Ca2+]i oscillations, and this was reversed by use of high concentrations of Gd3+; however, knockdown of Orai1 did not affect arachidonic acid-activated entry. RNAi targeting 34 members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily did not reveal a role for any of these channel proteins in store-operated Ca2+ entry in HEK293 cells. These findings indicate that the Ca2+ entry supporting [Ca2+]i oscillations in HEK293 cells depends upon the Ca2+ sensor, Stim1, and calcium release-activated Ca2+ channel protein, Orai1, and provide further support for our conclusion that it is the store-operated mechanism that plays the major role in this pathway.
Members of the family of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels mediate a wide range of sensory modalities, including thermosensation and taste. Among the "thermo-TRPs," some, such as TRPV1, are activated by warm temperatures, whereas others, such as TRPM8, are activated by cold. How is temperature able to have such strong and opposing effects on these related channels? Although at a structural level the answer to this question is not known, an elegant biophysical model has been proposed that accounts for the different thermosensitivities of TRP channels. This model posits that temperature acts by shifting the inherent weak voltage sensitivity of TRPV1 and TRPM8 in opposite directions, thus promoting opening of TRPV1 at warm temperatures and TRPM8 at cold temperatures. TRPM5, which is distantly related to TRPM8, is a Ca2+-activated cation channel expressed in taste cells that is essential for sweet, bitter, and umami tastes. Like TRPV1 and TRPM8, TRPM5 is weakly sensitive to voltage and thus may also be temperature sensitive. A recent report shows that activity of TRPM5 is increased at warm temperatures, suggesting that heat may enhance the perception of taste through direct modulation of the putative taste transduction channel.
During a period of acute ischemia in vivo or oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro, CA1 neurons depolarize, swell and become overloaded with calcium. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that the initial responses to OGD are at least partly due to transient receptor potential (TRP) channel activation. As some TRP channels are temperature-sensitive, we also compared the effects of pharmacological blockade of the channels with the effects of reducing temperature. Acute hippocampal slices (350 mum) obtained from Wistar rats were submerged in ACSF at 36 degrees C. CA1 neurons were monitored electrophysiologically using extracellular, intracellular or whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Cell swelling was assessed by recording changes in relative tissue resistance, and changes in intracellular calcium were measured after loading neurons with fura-2 dextran. Blockers of TRP channels (ruthenium red, La3+, Gd3+, 2-APB) or lowering temperature by 3 degrees C reduced responses to OGD. This included: (a) an increased delay to negative shifts of extracellular DC potential; (b) reduction in rate of the initial slow membrane depolarization, slower development of OGD-induced increase in cell input resistance and slower development of whole-cell inward current; (c) reduced tissue swelling; and (d) a smaller rise in intracellular calcium. Mild hypothermia (33 degrees C) and La3+ or Gd3+ (100 microM) showed an occlusion effect when delay to extracellular DC shifts was measured. Expression of TRPM2/TRPM7 (oxidative stress-sensitive) and TRPV3/TRPV4 (temperature-sensitive) channels was demonstrated in the CA1 subfield with RT-PCR. These results indicate that TRP or TRP-like channels are activated by cellular stress and contribute to ischemia-induced membrane depolarization, intracellular calcium accumulation and cell swelling. We also hypothesize that closing of some TRP channels (TRPV3 and/or TRPV4) by lowering temperature may be partly responsible for the neuroprotective effect of hypothermia.
Although widely regarded as attractive drug targets, less than a tenth of known ion channels are currently commercially exploited as therapeutic targets. Historically, drug discovery efforts on ion channel targets have been encumbered by a lack of molecular and structural information, sub-optimal screening technologies and a paucity of discriminating pharmacological tools. Although challenges remain, recent scientific and technological advances in the area of ion channel research and screening offer the exciting prospect of a new, more-predictive era of ion channel drug discovery. In this article, focusing primarily on non-voltage-gated cation channels, we describe the continuing evolution of approaches to ion channel drug discovery, highlight recent developments in the ion channel field and consider their potential impact on discovering and ascribing function to ion channel targets. We discuss the renaissance of known ion channel targets, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and calcium-activated potassium channels, as well as the emergence of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels as a gene family of cation channels with broad therapeutic potential.
Although widely regarded as attractive drug targets, less than a tenth of known ion channels are currently commercially exploited as therapeutic targets. Historically, drug discovery efforts on ion channel targets have been encumbered by a lack of molecular and structural information, sub-optimal screening technologies and a paucity of discriminating pharmacological tools. Although challenges remain, recent scientific and technological advances in the area of ion channel research and screening offer the exciting prospect of a new, more-predictive era of ion channel drug discovery. In this article, focusing primarily on non voltage gated cation channels, we describe the continuing evolution of approaches to ion channel drug discovery, highlight recent developments in the ion channel field and consider their potential impact on discovering and ascribing function to ion channel targets. We discuss the renaissance of known ion channel targets, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and calcium-activated potassium channels, as well as the emergence of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels as a gene family of cation channels with broad therapeutic potential.
We describe a paradigm for nociception in Drosophila. In response to the touch of a probe heated above 38 degrees C, Drosophila larvae produce a stereotypical rolling behavior, unlike the response to an unheated probe. In a genetic screen for mutants defective in this noxious heat response, we identified the painless gene. Recordings from wild-type larval nerves identified neurons that initiated strong spiking above 38 degrees C, and this activity was absent in the painless mutant. The painless mRNA encodes a protein of the transient receptor potential ion channel family. Painless is required for both thermal and mechanical nociception, but not for sensing light touch. painless is expressed in peripheral neurons that extend multiple branched dendrites beneath the larval epidermis, similar to vertebrate pain receptors. An antibody to Painless binds to localized dendritic structures that we hypothesize are involved in nociceptive signaling.
Transient receptor potential ion channel of the vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1)-dependent pathway, consisting of capsaicin-sensitive tachykininergic primary afferent and myenteric nitrergic neurons, has been suggested to mediate the inhibitory effect of capsaicin on vagally mediated striated muscle contractions in the rat esophagus. In a recent study, similar but also different effects of capsaicin and piperine on TRPV1 were demonstrated. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of these two drugs on vagally induced contractions in the mouse esophagus. Capsaicin and piperine inhibited vagally induced contractions of a thoracic esophageal segment in a concentration-dependent manner. Ruthenium red (10 microM; a non-selective blocker of transient receptor potential cation channels) and SB-366791 (10 microM; a novel selective antagonist of TRPV1) blocked the inhibitory effect of capsaicin but not that of piperine. Piperine inhibited the vagally mediated contractions in esophagi of adult mice neonatally injected with capsaicin, while capsaicin failed to do so. Desensitization of TRPV1 in the mouse esophagus by in vitro pretreatment with capsaicin failed to affect the inhibitory effect of piperine, whereas the piperine effect was cross-desensitized by capsaicin pretreatment in rat and hamster esophagi. Additionally, a tachykinin NK(1) receptor antagonist, L-732,138 (1 microM), as well as a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME 200 microM), blocked the inhibitory effect of capsaicin but not that of piperine. Taken together, the results suggest that piperine inhibits the vagally mediated striated muscle contraction in the mouse esophagus through its action on a TRPV1-dependent pathway as well as a TRPV1-independent site.
Alterations within human chromosomal region 11p15.5 are associated with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) and predisposition to a variety of neoplasias, including Wilms' tumors (WTs), rhabdoid tumors and rhabdomyosarcomas. To identify candidate genes for 11p15. 5-related diseases we compared human genomic sequence with expressed sequence tag and protein databases from different organisms to discover evolutionarily conserved sequences. Herein we describe the identification and characterization of a novel human transcript related to a putative Caenorhabditis elegans protein and the trp (transient receptor potential) gene. The highest homologies are observed with the human TRPC7 and with melastatin 1 ( MLSN1 ), whose transcript is downregulated in metastatic melanomas. Other genes related to and interacting with the trp family include the Grc gene, which codes for a growth factor-regulated channel protein, and PKD1/PKD2, involved in polycystic kidney disease. The novel gene presented here (named MTR1 for MLSN1 - and TRP -related gene 1) resides between TSSC4 and KvLQT1. MTR1 is expressed as a 4.5 kb transcript in a variety of fetal and adult tissues. The putative open reading frame is encoded in 24 exons, one of which is alternatively spliced leading to two possible proteins of 872 or 1165 amino acids with several predicted membrane-spanning domains in both versions. MTR1 transcripts are present in a large proportion of WTs and rhabdomyosarcomas. RT-PCR analysis of somatic cell hybrids harboring a single human chromosome 11 demonstrated exclusive expression of MTR1 in cell lines carrying a paternal chromosome 11, indicating allele-specific inactivation of the maternal copy by genomic imprinting.
In the heart, fibroblasts play an essential role in the deposition of the extracellular matrix and they also secrete a number of hormonal factors. Although natriuretic peptides, including C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and brain natriuretic peptide, have antifibrotic effects on cardiac fibroblasts, the effects of CNP on fibroblast electrophysiology have not been examined. In this study, acutely isolated ventricular fibroblasts from the adult rat were used to measure the effects of CNP (2 x 10(-8) M) under whole-cell voltage-clamp conditions. CNP, as well as the natriuretic peptide C receptor (NPR-C) agonist cANF (2 x 10(-8) M), significantly increased an outwardly rectifying non-selective cation current (NSCC). This current has a reversal potential near 0 mV. Activation of this NSCC by cANF was abolished by pre-treating fibroblasts with pertussis toxin, indicating the involvement of G(i) proteins. The cANF-activated NSCC was inhibited by the compounds Gd(3+), SKF 96365 and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of mRNA from rat ventricular fibroblasts revealed the expression of several transient receptor potential (TRP) channel transcripts. Additional electrophysiological analysis showed that U73122, a phospholipase C antagonist, inhibited the cANF-activated NSCC. Furthermore, the effects of CNP and cANF were mimicked by the diacylglycerol analogue 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), independently of protein kinase C activity. These are defining characteristics of specific TRPC channels. More detailed molecular analysis confirmed the expression of full-length TRPC2, TRPC3 and TRPC5 transcripts. These data indicate that CNP, acting via the NPR-C receptor, activates a NSCC that is at least partially carried by TRPC channels in cardiac fibroblasts.
The development of our knowledge on the structure, molecular regulation, and cell function on transient receptor potential (TRP) channels has been growing dramatically during the last few years. Many meetings in the past and upcoming events are now focused on TRP channels as general sensor molecules in cell physiology. However, most of the scientists in the field still feel that we are just beginning to understand these truly remarkable proteins, called TRPs, and there is still a long way to go from structure via molecular regulation to cell and organ function. This generally accepted but exciting view about the long road to the understanding of TRPs dominated all presentations given at the 2006 Minerva-Gentner Symposium on TRP channels and calcium signalling, which was held in Eilat, Israel, and was excellently organized by Baruch Minke (Jerusalem, Israel) and supported by Veit Flockerzi (Homburg, Germany).
Amiloride and its derivatives inhibit a number of sensory transduction processes, including some types of chemosensory transduction. Here, we report that pyrazine derivatives of amiloride reversibly inhibit odorant-evoked activity in lobster olfactory receptor neurons. The potency sequence is as follows-(IC50, mM): 5-(N,N-hexamethylene)amiloride (0.015) approximately 5-(N-methyl-N-isobutyl)amiloride (0.02) approximately 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (0.03) > 5-(N,N-dimethyl)amiloride (0.48); 3',4'-dichlorobenzamil (0.4), phenamil (0.5), and amiloride itself (2) are ineffective. The same derivatives with the similar potency sequence also block a presumptive transient receptor potential (TRP) channel that is the likely downstream target of phosphoinositide signaling in these cells. Our results suggest that pyrazine derivatives of amiloride are useful probes to study more detailed mechanisms of chemosensory transduction in this system and possibly in other chemosensory systems in which TRP channels are the known or suspected downstream effector.
Odors activate lobster olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) through phosphoinositide signaling that appears to target a Na(+)-gated nonselective cation channel. The Na(+)-gated channel is a potential member of the growing family of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Here, we test the effect of potential antagonists on the channel in cell-free patches from cultured lobster ORNs. We show that the channel is antagonized by H+ and the TRP channel blockers 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, SKF96365, ruthenium red, Al3+, Gd3+, and La3+. We then use this enhanced antagonist profile together with the agonists Na+ and Ca2+ to implicate the channel in signal amplification in the cells.
Deviations from the physiological values of extracellular pH are monitored by multiple acid sensors. Acid-sensing ion channels are activated by moderate acidification, whereas transient receptor potential cation channels, notably TRPV1, are gated by severe acidosis. In contrast, ionotropic purinoceptor (P2X) ion channels, particularly P2X(2), and two-pore domain background K(+) channels, such as TASK, do not directly signal acidification but rather modulate cell membrane excitability in response to acidosis. These acid sensors, which are expressed by afferent neurons, are most relevant to the regulation of acid secretion, foregut motility and mucosal protection, as well as to gastrointestinal disturbances associated with inflammation, ischaemia and stasis.
The seven mammalian channels from the classical (TRPC) subfamily of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are thought to be receptor-operated cation channels activated in a phospholipase C (PLC)-dependent manner. Based on sequence similarity, TRPC channels can be divided into four subgroups. Group 4 comprises TRPC4 and TRPC5, and is most closely related to group 1 (TRPC1). The functional properties observed following heterologous expression of TRPC4 or TRPC5 in mammalian cells are contradictory and, therefore, controversial. In our hands, and in several independent studies, both channels, probably as homotetramers, form receptor-operated, Ca2+-permeable, nonselective cation channels activated independently of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) receptor activation or Ca2+ store-depletion. As heteromultimers with TRPC1, TRPC4 and TRPC5 form receptor-operated, Ca2+-permeable, nonselective cation channels with biophysical properties distinct from homomeric TRPC4 or TRPC5. In other studies, TRPC4 and TRPC5 have been shown to be store-operated channels, with moderate to high Ca2+ permeabilities. At present there is no clear explanation for these major differences in functional properties. To date, little is known as to which native cation channels are formed by TRPC4 and TRPC5. Endothelial cells from TRPC4(-/-) mice lack a highly Ca2+-permeable, store-dependent current, and data support a role for TRPC4 in endothelium-mediated vasorelaxation. A similar current in adrenal cortical cells is reduced by TRPC4 antisense. From similarities in the properties of the currents and expression of appropriate isoforms in the tissues, it is likely that heteromultimers of TRPC1 and TRPC4 or TRPC5 form receptor-operated nonselective cation channels in central neurones, and that TRPC4 contributes to nonselective cation channels in intestinal smooth muscle.
The epithelial Ca(2+) channels (ECaCs) are primarily expressed in Ca(2+) transporting epithelia and represent a new family of Ca(2+) channels that belong to the superfamily of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Two members, namely ECaC1 and ECaC2, have been identified from kidney and intestine, respectively. These channels are the prime target for hormonal control of active Ca(2+) flux from the urine space or intestinal lumen to the blood compartment. This review covers the distinctive properties of these highly Ca(2+)-selective channels and highlights the implications for our understanding of the process of transepithelial Ca(2+) transport.