To our knowledge this is the first study of 2 main interstitial cell populations in the upper and deeper lamina propria of the human bladder with distinct ultrastructural and immunohistochemical phenotypes. Future research is needed to elucidate whether these morphological findings reflect different roles for upper and deeper lamina propria interstitial cells in bladder physiology.

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTd) represents a major healthcare problem. Although it is mostly not lethal, associated social disturbance, medical costs, loss of productivity and especially diminished quality of life should not be underestimated. Although more than 15% of people suffer from a form of LUTd to some extent, pathophysiology often remains obscure. In the past 20 years, transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have become increasingly important in this field of research. These intriguing ion channels are believed to be the main molecular sensors that generate bladder sensation. Therefore, they are intensely pursued as new drug targets for both curative and symptomatic treatment of different forms of LUTd. TRPV1 was the first of its class to be investigated. Actually, even before this channel was cloned, it had already been targeted in the bladder, with clinical trials of intravesical capsaicin instillations. Several other polymodally gated TRP channels, particularly TRPM8, TRPA1 and TRPV4, also appear to play a prominent role in bladder (patho)physiology. With this review, we provide a brief overview of current knowledge on the role of these TRP channels in LUTd and their potential as molecular targets for treatment. LINKED ARTICLESThis article is part of a themed section on the pharmacology of TRP channels. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx

Brief cold stimuli applied to the skin can evoke a sudden desire to urinate, which can be highly bothersome in patients with overactive bladder. We developed an animal model to study this phenomenon, and found that it depends on a specific molecular cold sensor, transient receptor potential M8 (TRPM8). Pharmacological inhibition of TRPM8 may alleviate acute cold-induced urinary urgency in humans.

We demonstrate that the sensory protein transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) can be targeted to improve bladder function in animals that have iatrogenic injury to the nerves innervating the bladder. Further research is required to determine whether these results can be translated to patients with an underactive bladder.

We isolated a major wheat flour allergen with a molecular weight of 15-kD. The 15-kD allergen was purified from an extract of wheat flour by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel filtration. Using the immunoblot technique, IgE, specifically directed towards the single isolated allergen, was detectable in 50% of the applied sera. We determined the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the allergen and identified it as an α-amylase inhibitor protein. Our data emphasize that low molecular weight wheat flour allergens play an important role in the pathogenesis of baker’s asthma disease.