Modulation of temperature-sensitive TRP channels

Animals sense temperature - either cold or hot - by the direct activation of temperature-sensitive members of the TRP family of ion channels, the thermo-TRPs. To date, six TRP channels - TRPV1-4, TRPM8 and TRPA1 - have been reported to be directly activated by heat and to be involved in thermosensation. Temperature sensing can be modulated by phosphorylation of intracellular residues by protein kinases or by insertion of new channels into the cell membrane. In this review we provide a brief overview of the properties of thermo-TRPs, and we summarise signalling pathways involved in their regulation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.