Ulrich Wissenbach

The principle of temperature-dependent gating in cold- and heat-sensitive TRP channels.

The mammalian sensory system is capable of discriminating thermal stimuli ranging from noxious cold to noxious heat. Principal temperature sensors belong to the TRP cation channel family, but the mechanisms underlying the marked temperature sensitivity of opening and closing (‘gating’) of these channels are unknown. Here we show that temperature sensing is tightly linked to voltage-dependent gating in the cold-sensitive channel TRPM8 and the heat-sensitive channel TRPV1. Both channels are activated upon depolarization, and changes in temperature result in graded shifts of their voltage-dependent activation curves. The chemical agonists menthol (TRPM8) and capsaicin (TRPV1) function as gating modifiers, shifting activation curves towards physiological membrane potentials. Kinetic analysis of gating at different temperatures indicates that temperature sensitivity in TRPM8 and TRPV1 arises from a tenfold difference in the activation energies associated with voltage-dependent opening and closing. Our results suggest a simple unifying principle that explains both cold and heat sensitivity in TRP channels.

Trp12, a novel Trp related protein from kidney

A novel member of the transient receptor potential (Trp) family of ion channels, Trp12, was identified. The Trp12 mRNA is abundantly expressed in mouse kidney and encodes a protein of 871 amino acid residues. Trp12 transfected cells reveal an elevated cytosolic Ca2+ and respond with a further increase of cytosolic Ca2+ to perfusion with hypoosmotic solutions. The human orthologue of murine Trp12 was localized on a genomic clone derived from human chromosome 12. It is composed of 15 translated exons. The intron placement within that primary structure does not correlate with the previously postulated splice sites in transcripts encoding the stretch‐inhibitable channel which shares a high degree of amino acid sequence identity with Trp12 and the vanilloid receptor type 1.

Expression of the Ca2+-selective cation channel TRPV6 in human prostate cancer: a novel prognostic marker for tumor progression.

Members of the TRP superfamily of cation channels have homeostatic and regulatory functions in cells and changes in their expression may contribute to malignant growth. Previously, we have demonstrated that the gene of the Ca2+-selective cation channel CaT-L or TRPV6 is not expressed in benign prostate tissues including benign prostate hyperplasia, but is upregulated in prostate cancer. Here, we report on the differential expression of TRPV6 mRNA in prostate tissue obtained from 140 patients with prostate cancer. Using in situ hybridization, TRPV6 transcripts were undetectable in benign prostate tissue, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (n=57), incidental adenocarcinoma and all tumors less than 2.3 cubic centimeter (cc). In prostatectomy specimens from 97 clinically organ-confined tumors, TRPV6 expression correlated significantly with the Gleason score (P=0.032), pathological stage (P<0.001) and extraprostatic extension (P=0.025). Lymph node metastasis (n=17) and androgen-insensitive tumors (n=27) revealed TRPV6 expression in 63 and 67% of cases, respectively. The latter, however, revealed markedly and significantly decreased levels when compared with untreated tumors (P=0.044). In summary, the data demonstrate that TRPV6 expression is associated with prostate cancer progression. Accordingly, TRPV6 represents a prognostic marker and, as a plasma membrane Ca2+ channel, a promising target for new therapeutic strategies to treat advanced prostate cancer.

Properties of heterologously expressed hTRP3 channels in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells

1 We combined patch clamp and fura‐2 fluorescence methods to characterize human TRP3 (hTRP3) channels heterologously expressed in cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells, which do not express the bovine trp3 isoform (btrp3) but express btrp1 and btrp4. 2 ATP, bradykinin and intracellular InsP3 activated a non‐selective cation current (IhTRP3) in htrp3‐transfected CPAE cells but not in non‐transfected wild‐type cells. During agonist stimulation, the sustained rise in [Ca2+]i was significantly higher in htrp3‐transfected cells than in control CPAE cells. 3 The permeability for monovalent cations was PNa > PCs≈PK >> PNMDG and the ratio PCa/PNa was 1·62 ± 0·27 (n= 11). Removal of extracellular Ca2+ enhanced the amplitude of the agonist‐activated IhTRP3 as well as that of the basal current The trivalent cations La3+ and Gd3+ were potent blockers of IhTRP3 (the IC50 for La3+ was 24·4 ± 0·7 μM). 4 The single‐channel conductance of the channels activated by ATP, assessed by noise analysis, was 23 pS. 5 Thapsigargin and 2,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐1,4‐benzohydroquinone (BHQ), inhibitors of the organellar Ca2+‐ATPase, failed to activate IhTRP3. U‐73122, a phospholipase C blocker, inhibited IhTRP3 that had been activated by ATP and bradykinin. Thimerosal, an InsP3 receptor‐sensitizing compound, enhanced IhTRP3, but calmidazolium, a calmodulin antagonist, did not affect IhTRP3. 6 It is concluded that hTRP3 forms non‐selective plasmalemmal cation channels that function as a pathway for agonist‐induced Ca2+ influx.

Competitive regulation of CaT-like-mediated Ca2+ entry by protein kinase C and calmodulin

A finely tuned Ca2+ signaling system is essential for cells to transduce extracellular stimuli, to regulate growth, and to differentiate. We have recently cloned CaT-like (CaT-L), a highly selective Ca2+ channel closely related to the epithelial calcium channels (ECaC) and the calcium transport protein CaT1. CaT-L is expressed in selected exocrine tissues, and its expression also strikingly correlates with the malignancy of prostate cancer. The expression pattern and selective Ca2+ permeation properties suggest an important function in Ca2+ uptake and a role in tumor progression, but not much is known about the regulation of this subfamily of ion channels. We now demonstrate a biochemical and functional mechanism by which cells can control CaT-L activity. CaT-L is regulated by means of a unique calmodulin binding site, which, at the same time, is a target for protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation. We show that Ca2+-dependent calmodulin binding to CaT-L, which facilitates channel inactivation, can be counteracted by protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of the calmodulin binding site.

Differential activation of the volume-sensitive cation channel TRP12 (OTRPC4) and volume-regulated anion currents in HEK-293 cells

The detection of changes in volume and osmolality is an essential function in vertebrate cells. A novel member of the transient receptor potential (trp) family of ion channels, which is sensitive to changes in cell volume, has been described recently. Heterologous expression of TRP12 in HEK cells resulted in the appearance of a swelling-activated cation current. The permeability sequence of this cation current for various monovalent cations, as determined from shifts in reversal potential upon extracellular cation substitution, was PK>PCs>PNa>PLi, corresponding to an Eisenman-IV sequence characteristic for a weak-field-strength site. Surprisingly, over-expression of this channel in HEK cells was accompanied by a dramatic down-regulation of the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC), which is activated by cell swelling in non-transfected cells. In contrast to VRAC, TRP12 could not be activated at constant volume by a reduction of intracellular ionic strength or by intracellular perfusion with guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate (GTPγS). The kinetic and pharmacological profile of VRAC and TRP12 currents were also different.

Structure and mRNA expression of a bovine trp homologue related to mammalian trp2 transcripts.

Mammalian homologues of the transient receptor potential (trp) gene product from Drosophila melanogaster function as Ca2+‐selective or non‐selective cation channels. Complementary DNA was isolated from a bovine testis cDNA library which encodes bovine trp2 (btrp2), a protein of 432 amino acid residues comprising four predicted transmembrane segments. Btrp2 mRNA is expressed in bovine testis, spleen and liver but not in brain, heart, adrenal gland or retina. In bovine testis expression of btrp2 mRNA is restricted to spermatocytes but is not present in spermatogonia, Leydig or Sertoli cells suggesting that btrp2 may contribute to the formation of ion channels in sperm cells.

Trafficking and Assembly of the Cold-sensitive TRPM8 Channel

TRPM (transient receptor potential melastatin-like) channels are distinct from many other members of the transient receptor potential family in regard to their overall size (>1000 amino acids), the lack of N-terminal ankyrin-like repeats, and hydrophobicity predictions that may allow for more than six transmembrane regions. Common to each TRPM member is a prominent C-terminal coiled coil region. Here we have shown that TRPM8 channels assemble as multimers using the putative coiled coil region within the intracellular C terminus and that this assembly can be disturbed by a single point mutation within the coiled coil region. This mutant neither gives rise to functional channels nor do its subunits interact or form protein complexes that correspond to a multimer. However, they are still transported to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, wild-type currents can be suppressed by expressing the membrane-attached C-terminal region of TRPM8. To separate assembly from trafficking, we investigated the maturation of TRPM8 protein by identifying and mutating the relevant N-linked glycosylation site and showing that glycosylation is neither essential for multimerization nor for transport to the plasma membrane per se but appears to facilitate efficient multimerization and transport.

TRPC5 Is a Ca2+-activated Channel Functionally Coupled to Ca2+-selective Ion Channels

TRPC5 forms non-selective cation channels. Here we studied the role of internal Ca2+ in the activation of murine TRPC5 heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. Cell dialysis with various Ca2+ concentrations (Ca2+i) revealed a dose-dependent activation of TRPC5 channels by internal Ca2+ with EC50 of 635.1 and 358.2 nm at negative and positive membrane potentials, respectively. Stepwise increases of Ca2+i induced by photolysis of caged Ca2+ showed that the Ca2+ activation of TRPC5 channels follows a rapid exponential time course with a time constant of 8.6 ± 0.2 ms at Ca2+i below 10 μm, suggesting that the action of internal Ca2+ is a primary mechanism in the activation of TRPC5 channels. A second slow activation phase with a time to peak of 1.4 ± 0.1 s was also observed at Ca2+i above 10 μm. In support of a Ca2+-activation mechanism, the thapsigargin-induced release of Ca2+ from internal stores activated TRPC5 channels transiently, and the subsequent Ca2+ entry produced a sustained TRPC5 activation, which in turn supported a long-lasting membrane depolarization. By co-expressing STIM1 plus ORAI1 or the α1C and β2 subunits of L-type Ca2+ channels, we found that Ca2+ entry through either calcium-release-activated-calcium or voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels is sufficient for TRPC5 channel activation. The Ca2+ entry activated TRPC5 channels under buffering of internal Ca2+ with EGTA but not with BAPTA. Our data support the hypothesis that TRPC5 forms Ca2+-activated cation channels that are functionally coupled to Ca2+-selective ion channels through local Ca2+ increases beneath the plasma membrane.

Pain Perception in Mice Lacking the β3 Subunit of Voltage-activated Calcium Channels

The importance of voltage-activated calcium channels in pain processing has been suggested by the spinal antinociceptive action of blockers of N- and P/Q-type calcium channels as well as by gene targeting of the α1B subunit (N-type). The accessory β3 subunits of calcium channels are preferentially associated with the α1B subunit in neurones. Here we show that deletion of the β3 subunit by gene targeting affects strongly the pain processing of mutant mice. We pinpoint this defect in the pain-related behavior and ascending pain pathways of the spinal cordin vivo and at the level of calcium channel currents and proteins in single dorsal root ganglion neurones in vitro. The pain induced by chemical inflammation is preferentially damped by deletion of β3 subunits, whereas responses to acute thermal and mechanical harmful stimuli are reduced moderately or not at all, respectively. The defect results in a weak wind-up of spinal cord activity during intense afferent nerve stimulation. The molecular mechanism responsible for the phenotype was traced to low expression of N-type calcium channels (α1B) and functional alterations of calcium channel currents in neurones projecting to the spinal cord.