Evolution of thermal response properties in a cold-activated TRP channel.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19492038.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0005741 and PMC identifier 2683941.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Animals sense changes in ambient temperature irrespective of whether core body temperature is internally maintained (homeotherms) or subject to environmental variation (poikilotherms). Here we show that a cold-sensitive ion channel, TRPM8, displays dramatically different thermal activation ranges in frogs versus mammals or birds, consistent with variations in these species' cutaneous and core body temperatures. Thus, somatosensory receptors are not static through evolution, but show functional diversity reflecting the characteristics of an organism's ecological niche.
Medical subject headings
- Biological Evolution
- Cold Temperature
- Ion Channel Gating
- TRPC Cation Channels
- Thermosensing