TRPV3: a 'more than skinny' channel

The skin is our largest organ serving different tasks from barrier formation through somatosensing to hair development. Recently, members of the large trp (Transient Receptor Potential, TRP) gene family encoding proteins that form cation selective ion channel have been identified to play a crucial role in skin functions. Within the 28 different mammalian TRP channels, TRPV3 might be the most important member in the skin. This review gives an overview on functional properties of TRPV3 in skin physiology and in certain skin diseases.