Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Fisiologia, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 511-0566, Chile.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011;704:517-30. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-0265-3_28.
Membrane voltage, ligand binding, mechanical force and temperature can all induce conformational changes that open ion channel pores. A key question in understanding ion channel function is how the protein domains involved in sensing stimuli (sensors) communicate with the pore to gate its opening and closing. TRP channels are considered six-transmembrane cation-permeable channels, distant relatives of voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv), which are known to be activated by membrane depolarization. Understanding the molecular nature of thermo-TRP channel gating offers a fair challenge to biophysicists. This chapter will summarize our present knowledge on the effect of voltage and temperature during thermo-TRP channel activation.
膜电压、配体结合、机械力和温度都可以诱导构象变化，从而打开离子通道孔。理解离子通道功能的一个关键问题是，参与感应刺激的蛋白质结构域（传感器）如何与孔相互作用以打开和关闭孔。TRP 通道被认为是六跨膜阳离子渗透性通道，是电压门控钾通道（Kv）的远亲，已知 Kv 可被膜去极化激活。理解热 TRP 通道门控的分子本质对生物物理学家来说是一个相当大的挑战。本章将总结我们目前对热 TRP 通道激活过程中电压和温度影响的了解。
