Editorial: Emerging Roles of TRP Channels in Brain Pathology

Abstract

The mammalian transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel superfamily comprises six subfamilies, TRPC (canonical), TRPV (vanilloid), TRPM (melastatin), TRPA (ankyrin), TRPP (polycystin), and TRPML (mucolipin) (Ramsey et al., 2006; Venkatachalam and Montell, 2007). TRP channels are tetrameric and each subunit contains intracellular N- and C-termini and six membrane-spanning segments, with the fifth and sixth segments and the re-entrant loop between them forming the ion-conducting pore (Cao, 2020). They function as non-selective cation channels, with prominent Ca2+ permeability for most of them, and are activated by diverse physical, chemical and biological stimuli. Their Ca2+ permeability, poly-modal activation and wide expression place these channels in a vital position mediating Ca2+ signalling in a range of physiological processes. Not surprisingly, accumulating evidence supports an important role for the TRP channels in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases (Nilius et al., 2007). Many TRP channels are expressed in the brain. This Research Topic, including 14 review and original research articles, offers critical and new insights into the role of TRP channels, particularly the Ca2+-permeable ones, in multiple brain pathologies.