Irritant-evoked activation and calcium modulation of the TRPA1 receptor.

ABSTRACT: The transient receptor potential ion channel TRPA1 is expressed by primary afferent nerve fibres, in which it functions as a low-threshold sensor for structurally diverse electrophilic irritants, including small volatile environmental toxicants and endogenous algogenic lipids¹. TRPA1 is also a 'receptor-operated' channel whose activation downstream of metabotropic receptors elicits inflammatory pain or itch, making it an attractive target for novel analgesic therapies². However, the mechanisms by which TRPA1 recognizes and responds to electrophiles or cytoplasmic second messengers remain unknown. Here we use strutural studies and electrophysiology to show that electrophiles act through a two-step process in which modification of a highly reactive cysteine residue (C62

SUBMITTER: Zhao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7483980 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature