A possible role for TRPV4 receptors in asthma

Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Coughing Reflex

Breathing is an intrinsic natural behavior and physiological process that maintains life. The rhythmic exchange of gases regulates the delicate balance of chemical constituents within an organism throughout its lifespan. However, chronic airway diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, affect millions of people worldwide. Pathological airway conditions can disrupt respiration, causing asphyxia, cardiac arrest, and potential death. The innervation of the respiratory tract and the action of the immune system confer robust airway surveillance and protection against environmental irritants and pathogens. However, aberrant activation of the immune system or sensitization of the nervous system can contribute to the development of autoimmune airway disorders. Transient receptor potential ion channels and voltage-gated Na+ channels play critical roles in sensing noxious stimuli within the respiratory tract and interacting with the immune system to generate neurogenic inflammation and airway hypersensitivity. Although recent studies have revealed the involvement of nociceptor neurons in airway diseases, the further neural circuitry underlying airway protection remains elusive. Unraveling the mechanism underpinning neural circuit regulation in the airway may provide precise therapeutic strategies and valuable insights into the management of airway diseases.

Effects of TRPV4 channel blocker on airway inflammation and airway defense reflexes in experimentally induced model of allergic asthma

The transient receptor potential (TRP) channels regulate physiological and pathological processes. Changes in their activity and sensitivity may be involved in the pathophysiology of asthma. The present study investigates the effect of an inhaled TRPV4 channel blocker HC-067047 in an experimental guinea pig model of ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma. We monitored the effect of 50 nM, 100 nM, and 150 nM HC-067047 concentrations on airway defense reflexes in vivo and tracheal smooth muscle contractility in vitro. The anti-inflammatory action of HC-067047 was investigated by analysis of chronic inflammation markers from lung homogenates. The results suggest that HC-067047 can suppress airway defense reflexes in vivo and acetylcholine-induced contractility in vitro. Immunological analysis revealed that TRPV4 channel blockade leads to a decrease in the levels of inflammatory cytokines. An effect on airway defence reflexes and airway inflammation was observed using tested concentrations (50 mM, 100 mM, 150 mM) of HC-067047. The effects of HC-067047 on both airway defense reflexes and inflammation underline the role of TRPV4 channels in asthma and uncover therapeutic targets for developing innovative drugs in asthma therapy.

Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV4) channel inhibition: A novel promising approach for the treatment of lung diseases

Research on transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) can provide a promising potential therapeutic target in the development of novel medicines for lung disorders. TRPV4 expresses in lung tissue and plays an important role in the maintenance of respiratory homeostatic function. TRPV4 is upregulated in life-threatening respiratory diseases like pulmonary hypertension, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. TRPV4 is linked to several proteins that have physiological functions and are sensitive to a wide variety of stimuli, such as mechanical stimulation, changes in temperature, and hypotonicity, and responds to a variety of proteins and lipid mediators, including anandamide (AA), the arachidonic acid metabolite, 5,6-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (5,6-EET), a plant dimeric diterpenoid called bisandrographolide A (BAA), and the phorbol ester 4-alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (4α-PDD). This study focused on relevant research evidence of TRPV4 in lung disorders and its agonist and antagonist effects. TRPV4 can be a possible target of discovered molecules that exerts high therapeutic potential in the treatment of respiratory diseases by inhibiting TRPV4.

Transient receptor potential channels in pulmonary chemical injuries and as countermeasure targets

The lung is highly sensitive to chemical injuries caused by exposure to threat agents in industrial or transportation accidents, occupational exposures, or deliberate use as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). There are no antidotes for the majority of the chemical threat agents and toxic inhalation hazards despite their use as WMDs for more than a century. Among several putative targets, evidence for transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels as mediators of injury by various inhalational chemical threat agents is emerging. TRP channels are expressed in the respiratory system and are essential for homeostasis. Among TRP channels, the body of literature supporting essential roles for TRPA1, TRPV1, and TRPV4 in pulmonary chemical injuries is abundant. TRP channels mediate their function through sensory neuronal and nonneuronal pathways. TRP channels play a crucial role in complex pulmonary pathophysiologic events including, but not limited to, increased intracellular calcium levels, signal transduction, recruitment of proinflammatory cells, neurogenic inflammatory pathways, cough reflex, hampered mucus clearance, disruption of the integrity of the epithelia, pulmonary edema, and fibrosis. In this review, we summarize the role of TRP channels in chemical threat agents-induced pulmonary injuries and how these channels may serve as medical countermeasure targets for broader indications.

TRPV4: A Physio and Pathophysiologically Significant Ion Channel

Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels are a family of ion channels whose members are distributed among all kinds of animals, from invertebrates to vertebrates. The importance of these molecules is exemplified by the variety of physiological roles they play. Perhaps, the most extensively studied member of this family is the TRPV1 ion channel; nonetheless, the activity of TRPV4 has been associated to several physio and pathophysiological processes, and its dysfunction can lead to severe consequences. Several lines of evidence derived from animal models and even clinical trials in humans highlight TRPV4 as a therapeutic target and as a protein that will receive even more attention in the near future, as will be reviewed here.

TRPV4 is dispensable for the development of airway allergic asthma

Allergic asthma is one of the most common immune-mediated disorders affecting the lungs. It is characterized clinically by airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia, enhanced IL-4 and IL-13, peribronchial inflammation with mononuclear cell infiltration, and goblet cell hyperplasia associated with increased mucus production. However, chronic asthma with repeated exposures to inhaled allergens can result in subepithelial pulmonary fibrosis. The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) protein can promote the generation of myofibroblasts and pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we investigated the possibility that TPRV4 facilitates the development of allergic asthma and subsequent pulmonary fibrosis in the lung. To test this, wild-type (WT) and TPRV4 gene knockout (KO) mice were repeatedly sensitized with chicken ovalbumin (OVA) and repeatedly subjected to aerosol challenge with 1% OVA. We found that there were no significant differences in the development of allergic asthma between the WT and TPRV4 KO mice. Both groups of mice exhibited similar levels of airway hyperresponsiveness, IL-13, IL-5, OVA-specific IgE, eosinophilia, mucus-secreting goblet cell hyperplasia, and deposition of collagen fiber, which is a hallmark of the pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, these data suggest that TPRV4 protein is dispensable in the initiation and development of airway asthma and subsequent fibrosis.

Loss of TRPV4 Function Suppresses Inflammatory Fibrosis Induced by Alkali-Burning Mouse Corneas

In humans suffering from pulmonary disease and a mouse model, transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel activation contributes to fibrosis. As a corneal alkali burn induces the same response, we determined if such an effect is also attributable to TRPV4 activation in mice. Accordingly, we determined if the alkali burn wound healing responses in wild-type (WT) mice are different than those in their TRPV4-null (KO) counterpart. Stromal opacification due to fibrosis in KO (n = 128) mice was markedly reduced after 20 days relative to that in WT (n = 157) mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that increases in polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophage infiltration declined in KO mice. Semi-quantitative real time RT-PCR of ocular KO fibroblast cultures identified increases in proinflammatory and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 chemoattractant gene expression after injury. Biomarker gene expression of fibrosis, collagen1a1 and α-smooth muscle actin were attenuated along with macrophage release of interleukin-6 whereas transforming growth factor β, release was unchanged. Tail vein reciprocal bone marrow transplantation between WT and KO chimera mouse models mice showed that reduced scarring and inflammation in KO mice are due to loss of TRPV4 expression on both corneal resident immune cells, fibroblasts and infiltrating polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages. Intraperitoneal TRPV4 receptor antagonist injection of HC-067047 (10 mg/kg, daily) into WT mice reproduced the KO-phenotype. Taken together, alkali-induced TRPV4 activation contributes to inducing fibrosis and inflammation since corneal transparency recovery was markedly improved in KO mice.

Mechanotransduction via TRPV4 regulates inflammation and differentiation in fetal mouse distal lung epithelial cells

Background

Mechanical ventilation plays a central role in the injury of premature lungs. However, the mechanisms by which mechanical signals trigger an inflammatory cascade to promote lung injury are not well-characterized. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a calcium-permeable mechanoreceptor channel has been shown to be a major determinant of ventilator-induced acute lung injury in adult models. However, the role of these channels as modulators of inflammation in immature lungs is unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that TRPV4 channels are important mechanotransducers in fetal lung injury.

Methods

Expression of TRPV4 in the mouse fetal lung was investigated by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and qRT-PCR. Isolated fetal epithelial cells were exposed to mechanical stimulation using the Flexcell Strain Unit and inflammation and differentiation were analyzed by ELISA and SP-C mRNA, respectively.

Results

TRPV4 is developmentally regulated in the fetal mouse lung; it is expressed in the lung epithelium and increases with advanced gestation. In contrast, in isolated epithelial cells, TRPV4 expression is maximal at E17-E18 of gestation. Mechanical stretch increases TRPV4 in isolated fetal epithelial cells only during the canalicular stage of lung development. Using the TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A, the antagonist HC-067047, and the cytokine IL-6 as a marker of inflammation, we observed that TRPV4 regulates release of IL-6 via p38 and ERK pathways. Interestingly, stretch-induced differentiation of fetal epithelial cells was also modulated by TRPV4.

Conclusion

These studies demonstrate that TRPV4 may play an important role in the transduction of mechanical signals in the fetal lung epithelium by modulating not only inflammation but also the differentiation of fetal epithelial cells.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the airway: role in airway disease

Over the last few decades, there has been an explosion of scientific publications reporting the many and varied roles of transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels in physiological and pathological systems throughout the body. The aim of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the role of TRP channels in the lungs and discuss what is known about their function under normal and diseased conditions. The review will focus mainly on the pathogenesis and symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the role of four members of the TRP family: TRPA1, TRPV1, TRPV4 and TRPM8. We hope that the article will help the reader understand the role of TRP channels in the normal airway and how their function may be changed in the context of respiratory disease.

TRP channels: emerging targets for respiratory disease

The mammalian transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels is divided into six subfamilies based on sequence homology TRPC (canonical), TRPV (vanilloid), TRPM (melastatin), TRPA (ankyrin), TRPP (polycystin) and TRPML (mucolipin). The expression of these channels is especially abundant in sensory nerves, and there is increasing evidence demonstrating their existence in a broad range of cell types which are thought to play a key role in respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These ion channels can be activated by a diverse range of chemical and physical stimuli. Physical stimuli include temperature, membrane potential changes and osmotic stress, and some of the more well known chemical stimuli include capsaicin (TRPV1), menthol (TRPM8) and acrolein (TRPA1). There is increasing evidence in this rapidly moving field to suggest that selective blockers of these channels may represent attractive novel strategies to treat characteristic features of respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. This review focuses on summarising the evidence that modulation of selected TRP channels may have beneficial effects at targeting key features of these respiratory diseases including airways inflammation, airways hyper-reactivity, mucus secretion and cough.

Expression of TRPV4 in the stimulated rat oral mucous membrane--nociceptive mechanisms of lingual conical papillae

The study was supported by 2006-2007 Aid Program for Overseas Training of the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private School of Japan and International Exchange Grant, Osaka Dental University. We studied the function of TRPV4 expression and its neuronal activation in response to noxious stimulation of oral mucosa. The intermolar region of dorsal lingual eminence (IDLE) of rats was stimulated with 10 microl of either normal saline or 5% formalin. Immunohistological studies of the TRPV4, pERK and serotonin (5HT) expression in designated regions of tongues and brainstems were performed for studying the descending pain modulatory system in response to nociception. Specimens of the experimental IDLE demonstrated a significant increase of TRPV4 activity in particular in stratum basale of conical papillae (p < 0.01). pERK-IR positive neurons were significantly increased in the RMg (p < 0.05), Sp5C (p < 0.05) and Md (p < 0.01); TRPV4-IR neurons were found to show a similar distribution with pERK-IR cells in the peripheral Sp5C (p < 0.05). A significant increase of 5HT expression was observed in the RMg (p < 0.01), RPa (p < 0.01) and ROb (p < 0.05). The results suggest that TRPV4 in the oral mucosa is nociceptor of peripheral hyperalgesia, and pERK expression in the Sp5C is closely related with central hyperalgesia of the nociception. Furthermore, pERK-IR cells of the central 5HT nervous system are activated to accelerate 5HT release for neuronal modulation of the descending pain modulatory system in response to nociception.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) enhances functional thermal and chemical responses of TRP cation channels in human synoviocytes

Background

We have shown functional expression of several TRP channels on human synovial cells, proposing significance in known calcium dependent proliferative and secretory responses in joint inflammation. The present study further characterizes synoviocyte TRP expression and activation responses to thermal and osmotic stimuli after pre-treatment with proinflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, EC50 1.3221 × 10^-10g/L).

Results

Fluorescent imaging of Fura-2 loaded human SW982 synoviocytes reveals immediate and delayed cytosolic calcium oscillations elicited by (1) TRPV1 agonists capsaicin and resiniferatoxin (20 – 40% of cells), (2) moderate and noxious temperature change, and (3) osmotic stress TRPV4 activation (11.5% of cells). TNF-alpha pre-treatment (1 ng/ml, 8 – 16 hr) significantly increases (doubles) capsaicin responsive cell numbers and [Ca2+]i spike frequency, as well as enhances average amplitude of temperature induced [Ca²⁺]_i responses. With TNF-alpha pre-treatment for 8, 12, and 16 hr, activation with 36 or 45 degree bath solution induces bimodal [Ca²⁺]_i increase (temperature controlled chamber). Initial temperature induced rapid transient spikes and subsequent slower rise reflect TRPV1 and TRPV4 channel activation, respectively. Only after prolonged TNF-alpha exposure (12 and 16 hr) is recruitment of synoviocytes observed with sensitized TRPV4 responses to hypoosmolarity (3–4 fold increase). TNF-alpha increases TRPV1 (8 hr peak) and TRPV4 (12 hr peak) immunostaining, mRNA and protein expression, with a TRPV1 shift to membrane fractions.

Conclusion

TNF-α provides differentially enhanced synoviocyte TRPV1 and TRPV4 expression and [Ca²⁺]_i response dependent on the TRP stimulus and time after exposure. Augmented relevance of TRPV1 and TRPV4 as inflammatory conditions persist would provide calcium mediated cell signaling required for pathophysiological responses of synoviocytes in inflammatory pain states.

On the putative role of transient receptor potential cation channels in asthma

The mammalian transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily consists of 28 mammalian TRP cation channels, which can be subdivided into six main subfamilies: the TRPC ('Canonical'), TRPV ('Vanilloid'), TRPM ('Melastatin'), TRPP ('Polycystin'), TRPML ('Mucolipin') and the TRPA ('Ankyrin') groups. Increasing evidence has accumulated during the previous few years that links TRP channels to the cause of several diseases or to critically influence and/or determine their progress. This review focuses on the possible role of TRP channels in the aetiology of asthmatic lung disease.

Airway smooth muscle as a model for new investigative drugs in asthma

Bronchial asthma as such exists because airway smooth muscle (ASM) contracts excessively in response to various stimuli. After several decades during which research was mainly focused on airway inflammation, increasing attention is now being paid to a possible abnormal behaviour of ASM. Thus, ASM is regarded as a major target for anti-asthma treatments. This review first describes the mechanisms of ASM contraction and airway hyperresponsiveness, through cellular, animal and human models. The developments of new drugs targeting extra and/or intracellular pathway of ASM contraction are discussed.

Salt intake augments hypotensive effects of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4: functional significance and implication

To test the hypothesis that activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel conveys a hypotensive effect that is enhanced during salt load, male Wistar rats fed a normal-sodium (0.5%) or high-sodium (HS; 4%) diet for 3 weeks were given 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4 alpha-PDD), a specific TRPV4 activator, in the presence or absence of capsazepine, a selective TRPV1 blocker, ruthenium red, a TRPV4 blocker, or TRPV4 small hairpin RNA that selectively knockdowns TRPV4. 4 alpha-PDD (1, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg IV) dose-dependently decreased mean arterial pressure (P<0.05). HS enhanced 4 alpha-PDD-induced depressor effects as well as 4 alpha-PDD-mediated release of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P (P<0.001). Ruthenium red markedly blunted (P<0.001), whereas capsazepine slightly attenuated (P<0.05) 4 alpha-PDD-induced depressor effects in HS and normal-sodium diet rats. Ruthenium red alone increased baseline mean arterial pressure in both HS and normal-sodium diet rats with a greater magnitude in the former (P<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that HS increased TRPV4 expression in dorsal root ganglia and mesenteric arteries (P<0.05) but not the renal cortex and medulla. Gene-silencing approach revealed that TRPV4 small hairpin RNA downregulated TRPV4 expression leading to blunted 4 alpha-PDD-induced hypotension (P<0.05). Thus, TRPV4 activation decreases blood pressure in rats given a normal-sodium diet. HS enhances TRPV4 expression in sensory nerves/mesenteric arteries and TRPV4-mediated depressor effects and calcitonin gene-related peptide/substance P release such that HS causes a greater increase in blood pressure when TRPV4 is blocked. Our data indicate that TRPV4 activation may constitute a compensatory mechanism in preventing salt-induced increases in blood pressure.

Transient receptor potential cation channels in disease

The transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily consists of a large number of cation channels that are mostly permeable to both monovalent and divalent cations. The 28 mammalian TRP channels can be subdivided into six main subfamilies: the TRPC (canonical), TRPV (vanilloid), TRPM (melastatin), TRPP (polycystin), TRPML (mucolipin), and the TRPA (ankyrin) groups. TRP channels are expressed in almost every tissue and cell type and play an important role in the regulation of various cell functions. Currently, significant scientific effort is being devoted to understanding the physiology of TRP channels and their relationship to human diseases. At this point, only a few channelopathies in which defects in TRP genes are the direct cause of cellular dysfunction have been identified. In addition, mapping of TRP genes to susceptible chromosome regions (e.g., translocations, breakpoint intervals, increased frequency of polymorphisms) has been considered suggestive of the involvement of these channels in hereditary diseases. Moreover, strong indications of the involvement of TRP channels in several diseases come from correlations between levels of channel expression and disease symptoms. Finally, TRP channels are involved in some systemic diseases due to their role as targets for irritants, inflammation products, and xenobiotic toxins. The analysis of transgenic models allows further extrapolations of TRP channel deficiency to human physiology and disease. In this review, we provide an overview of the impact of TRP channels on the pathogenesis of several diseases and identify several TRPs for which a causal pathogenic role might be anticipated.

Cation channels of the transient receptor potential superfamily: their role in physiological and pathophysiological processes of smooth muscle cells

Smooth muscle cells (SMC) are essential components of many tissues of the body. Ion channels regulate their membrane potential, the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and their contractility. Among the ion channels expressed in SMC cation channels of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily allow the entry of Na(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+). Members of the TRP superfamily are essential constituents of tonically active channels (TAC), receptor-operated channels (ROC), store-operated channels (SOC) and stretch-activated channels (SAC). This review focusses on TRP channels (TRPC1, TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPC6, TRPC7, TRPV2, TRPV4, TRPM4, TRPM7, TRPP2) whose physiological functions in SMC were dissected by downregulating channel activity in isolated tissues or by the analysis of gene-deficient mouse models. Their possible functional role and physiological regulation as homomeric or heteromeric channels in SMC are discussed. Moreover, TRP channels may also be responsible for pathophysiological processes involving SMC-like airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, they present important drug targets for future pharmacological interventions.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 regulates aquaporin-5 abundance under hypotonic conditions

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is expressed in epithelia of lung, cornea, and various secretory glands, sites where extracellular osmolality is known to fluctuate. Hypertonic aquaporin (AQP) induction has been described, but little is known about the effects of a hypotonic environment on AQP abundance. We report that, when mouse lung epithelial cells were exposed to hypotonic medium, a dose-responsive decrease in AQP5 abundance was observed. Hypotonic reduction of AQP5 was blocked by ruthenium red, methanandamide, and miconazole, agents that inhibit the cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 4 present in lung epithelial cells. Several observations indicate that TRPV4 participates in hypotonic reduction of AQP5, including a requirement for extracellular calcium to achieve AQP5 reduction; an increase in intracellular calcium in mouse lung epithelial (MLE) cells after hypotonic stimulation; and reduction of AQP5 abundance after addition of the TRPV4 agonist 4alpha-Phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (4alpha-PDD). Similarly, addition of hypotonic PBS to mouse trachea in vivo decreased AQP5 within 1 h, an effect blocked by ruthenium red. To confirm a functional interaction, AQP5 was expressed in control or TRPV4-expressing human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Hypotonic reduction of AQP5 was observed only in the presence of TRPV4 and was blocked by ruthenium red. Combined with earlier studies, these observations indicate that AQP5 abundance is tightly regulated along a range of osmolalities and that AQP5 reduction by extracellular hypotonicity can be mediated by TRPV4. These findings have direct relevance to regulation of membrane water permeability and water homeostasis in epithelia of the lung and other organs.

TRP channels in airway smooth muscle as therapeutic targets

Cation channels are of fundamental importance in regulating the function of airway smooth cells especially bronchoconstriction in response to spasmogens, and are therefore key players in the pathogenesis of asthma. To date, the identity of these cation channels remains a mystery. However, the recently emerged transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channel family has provided several promising channel candidates. The identification of the key TRP channels involved in regulating airway smooth muscle contractility, and therefore airway tone, could provide new and exciting prospects for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of airway diseases such as asthma.

TRPV4 mediates pain-related behavior induced by mild hypertonic stimuli in the presence of inflammatory mediator

The ligand-gated ion channel, TRPV4, functions as a transducer of hypotonic stimuli in primary afferent nociceptive neurons and contributes to inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Hypertonic saline also stimulates primary afferent nociceptors and the injection of mild hypertonic saline (2-5%) is widely used as an experimental model of pain in humans. Therefore, we tested whether TRPV4 participates in the transduction of hypertonic stimuli. Intradermal injection of 2% (607 mOsm) or 10% (3,250 mOsm) saline solution in the hind paw of rats induced a concentration-dependent pain-related behavior, flinching. Sensitization with prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) caused a 7-fold increase in the number of flinches induced by 2% saline but failed to increase those caused by 10% saline. Spinal administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to TRPV4 caused a 46% decrease in the number of flinches induced by 2% saline, but there was no change in flinching induced by 10% saline. Similarly, only the nociceptive behavior caused by 2% saline was reduced in TRPV4(-/-) knockout mice. The TRPV4-mediated nociceptive behaviors induced by hyper- and hypotonic stimuli were dependent on Src tyrosine kinase. We suggest TRPV4 is a transducer in primary afferents that mediates nociceptive behavior induced by small increases or decreases in osmolarity. Such changes in osmolarity might contribute to pain in inflammatory and neuropathic states.

TRP channels in disease

The mammalian TRP (transient receptor potential) family consists of six main subfamilies termed the TRPC (canonical), TRPV (vanilloid), TRPM (melastatin), TRPP (polycystin), TRPML (mucolipin), and TRPA (ankyrin) groups. These subfamilies encompass 28 ion channels that function as diverse cellular sensors. All of the channels are permeable to monovalent cations, and most are also permeable to Ca(2+). There are strong indications that TRP channels are involved in many diseases. At this point, four channelopathies have been identified in which a defect in a TRP channel-encoding gene is the direct cause of disease. TRPs are also involved in some systemic diseases because of their role as receptors for irritants, inflammation products, and xenobiotic toxins. Other indications of the involvement of TRPs in several diseases come from correlations between the levels of channel expression and disease symptoms or from the mapping of TRP-encoding genes to susceptible chromosome regions. Finally, the phenotypes of TRP knockout mice and other transgenic models allow a degree of extrapolation to human diseases. We present an overview of current knowledge about the role of TRP channels in human disease and highlight some TRP "suspects" for which a role in disease can be anticipated. An understanding of the genetics of disease may lead to the development of targeted new therapies.

TRP channels: a TR(I)P through a world of multifunctional cation channels

The "transient receptor potential" (TRP) family of ion channels comprises more than 50 cation-permeable channels expressed from yeast to man. On the basis of structural homology, the TRP family can be subdivided in to seven main subfamilies: the TRPC ('Canonical') group, the TRPV ('Vanilloid') group, the TRPM ('Melastatin') group, the TRPP ('Polycystin'), the TRPML ('Mucolipin'), the TRPA ('Ankyrin') and the TRPN ('NOMP') family. The cloning and characterization of members of this cation channel family has exploded during recent years, leading to a plethora of data concerning TRPs in a variety of cell types, tissues and species. This paper briefly reviews the TRP superfamily and the basic properties of its many members as a reader's guide in this Special Issue. Hopefully, a better understanding of TRP channel physiology will provide important insight into the relationship between TRP channel dysfunction and human diseases.