TRP Channels as Sensors of Chemically-Induced Changes in Cell Membrane Mechanical Properties

This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Channels in Human Diseases: The Spanish Ion Channel Initiative Consortium (SICI).
Transient Receptor Potential ion channels (TRPs) have been described as polymodal sensors, being responsible for transducing a wide variety of stimuli, and being involved in sensory functions such as chemosensation, thermosensation, mechanosensation, and photosensation. Mechanical and chemical stresses exerted on the membrane can be transduced by specialized proteins into meaningful intracellular biochemical signaling, resulting in physiological changes. Of particular interest are compounds that can change the local physical properties of the membrane, thereby affecting nearby proteins, such as TRP channels, which are highly sensitive to the membrane environment. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of TRP channel activation as a result of changes in the membrane properties induced by amphipathic structural lipidic components such as cholesterol and diacylglycerol, and by exogenous amphipathic bacterial endotoxins.
This work was supported by grants of the Research Council of the KU Leuven (GOA/14/011 and C14/18/086), the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO: G070212N, G0C7715N and G0D0417N), SAF2017-83674-C2-2 Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Spain and ERDF, European Union; GV/2018//098 Generalitat Valenciana, Spain.