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Mathematical Modeling of TRPM8 and the Cold Thermoreceptors

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TRP Channels in Sensory Transduction

Abstract

The role of TRPM8 channel in thermotransduction involves several aspects of complexity that make it difficult to understand intuitively. First, it is activated by several stimuli (cold, voltage, agonists and intracellular signaling) that interact with each other, raising the question of how these interactions occur. Experimental evidence in this type of polymodal channel may be misinterpreted if the consequences of a working hypothesis are not considered carefully. Second, in parallel with the identification of TRPM8 as the main molecular transducer of cold temperatures in cold thermoreceptors of the somatosensory system, a list of other ion channels have been shown to be involved in the activity of cold-sensitive neurons and nerve endings. The variety of firing patterns observed at cold sensitive nerve endings arises from a complex interaction of ion channels that operate on different time scales. Mathematical modeling has been instrumental in understanding these phenomena, showing the consequences of the hypotheses raised. Here we review some of the models that have been proposed in these two areas: the activation of TRPM8 and TRPV1 by voltage and temperature, and the generation of firing patterns of cold thermoreceptors. We finish this chapter with a mathematical model showing how the calcium-dependent adaptation of TRPM8 may account for the response of cold thermoreceptors to rapid changes in temperature.

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Acknowledgment

The work of the authors is supported by Fondecyt Grant 1130862, ACT-1113 and ACT-1104 (CONICYT, Chile) to PO. The Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso is a Millenium Science Institute supported by P09-022-F funds, Ministerio de Economía, Chile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso, Pasaje Harrington 287, Valparaíso, Chile

    Erick Olivares & Patricio Orio

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  1. Erick Olivares
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  2. Patricio Orio
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Correspondence to Patricio Orio .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Rodolfo Madrid

  2. Faculty of Science, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Juan Bacigalupo

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Olivares, E., Orio, P. (2015). Mathematical Modeling of TRPM8 and the Cold Thermoreceptors. In: Madrid, R., Bacigalupo, J. (eds) TRP Channels in Sensory Transduction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18705-1_10

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