Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) and Thermoregulation in Animals: Structural Biology and Neurophysiological Aspects

Abstract

This review presents and analyzes recent scientific findings on the structure, physiology, and neurotransmission mechanisms of transient receptor potential (TRP) and their function in the thermoregulation of mammals. The aim is to better understand the functionality of these receptors and their role in maintaining the temperature of animals, or those susceptible to thermal stress. The majority of peripheral receptors are TRP cation channels formed from transmembrane proteins that function as transductors through changes in the membrane potential. TRP are classified into seven families and two groups. The data gathered for this review include controversial aspects because we do not fully know the mechanisms that operate the opening and closing of the TRP gates. Deductions, however, suggest the intervention of mechanisms related to G protein-coupled receptors, dephosphorylation, and ligands. Several questions emerge from the review as well. For example, the future uses of these data for controlling thermoregulatory disorders and the invitation to researchers to conduct more extensive studies to broaden our understanding of these mechanisms and achieve substantial advances in controlling fever, hyperthermia, and hypothermia.

Neonatal infrared thermography images in the hypothermic ruminant model: Anatomical-morphological-physiological aspects and mechanisms for thermoregulation

“…Although the importance of shivering thermogenesis is evident, reports on newborn lambs suggest that around 50% of heat production comes from shivering thermogenesis and 50% from non-shivering thermogenesis ( 90 ). This may be mainly attributable to the anatomical magnitude of the newborn, that is, the degree of muscle development ( 84 , 91 ).…”

“…Within the thermoregulatory system of newborns, the activation of peripheral thermoreceptors such as transient potential receptors (TPR) is the first step to initiating every thermal response. The key role of these receptors, particularly TRPA1, TRPM8, and TRPC5 are triggered by cold stimuli and promote the vasomotor changes or contraction of skeletal muscle ( 91 ). However, to date, the available data is focused on small rodents.…”

Genome-Wide Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of TRP Gene Family Members in Saurian

“…The βTRPM clade contains the TRPM2 , TRPM4 , TRPM5, and TRPM8 , where the TRPM2 , TRPM4, and TRPM5 are activated by heat, but the TRPM8 responds to cold temperatures [ 55 ]. TRPV proteins belong to two groups that assist with this function, TRPV1-4 proteins are defined as thermosensitive [ 46 ], and TRPV5/6 proteins’ function is to maintain Ca 2+ homeostasis [ 47 ]. In lizards, TRPP channels are organized into PKD1-like and PKD2-like, except for the brivido subfamily, which differs from the previous studies [ 54 , 56 ].…”

“…Based on the previous research [ 12 , 47 ], we selected seven genes, including TRPA1, TRPM8, TRPC5, and TRPV1-4, to analyze the selection pressure in the eight saurian genomes, and then calculated the proportions of the non-synonymous ( d N)/synonymous ( d S) evolutionary rate (ω) using EasyCodeML v1.12 [ 48 ] to represent the selective selection. Different ω values indicated a different type of selection: ω > 1 shows the positive selection, ω = 1 represents the neutral selection, and ω < 1 represents the purifying selection [ 49 ].…”

Is the Weight of the Newborn Puppy Related to Its Thermal Balance?

“…Thermoregulation plays an important role in newborns, especially in altricial species [ 6 ]. Through its extensive dermal vascularization, the body avoids losing temperature by producing changes in the blood flow of specific body regions [ 7 ], which are called biological thermal windows [ 8 ].…”