Reply to Voets et al.: Constellation pharmacology is poised to answer scientific questions

Abstract

Voets, Talavera, and Nilius (VTN) offer an alternative interpretation (1) of our data (2) that focuses on menthol responses in neurons sensitive to allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a functional marker for transient receptor potential (TRP) A1 expression. They argue that such responses are mediated by TRPA1, not TRPM8. There is an ongoing controversy surrounding the relative roles of TRPA1 and TRPM8 in cold sensation. VTN argue that TRPA1 plays a primary role (ref. 1 and references therein), whereas others argue that TRPA1 is not a cold sensor or is only a minor contributor to cold sensation (3, 4). We did not intend to step into the middle of that controversy. The focus of our article (2) was to illustrate the utility of constellation pharmacology with specific physiologically relevant examples.