TRPV1 and Piezo: the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Yifan Cheng

doi:10.1107/s2052252521013488

Abstract

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine honors the discoveries of the temperature or mechanically activated channels, whose structural studies provided insights of channel gating at atomic level.

Highlights

TRPV1, TRPM8 and Piezo1/2 are all ion channels in the plasma membrane of neuronal cells that can be activated in response to stimuli such as temperature, chemicals and mechanical force
The structural study of these ion channels is an important yet very challenging part of the functional and physiological investigation of nociception. Such efforts often start with determining the atomic structures of these ion channels, followed by capturing their structures at different functional states, including those activated by external and internal stimuli
The discoveries of TRPV1, TRPM8 and Piezo1/2 sparked intensive efforts from the structural biology community to determine the structures of these channels and to uncover the mechanisms by which these channels respond to stimuli

Summary

Introduction

TRPV1, TRPM8 and Piezo1/2 are all ion channels in the plasma membrane of neuronal cells that can be activated in response to stimuli such as temperature, chemicals and mechanical force. Such efforts often start with determining the atomic structures of these ion channels, followed by capturing their structures at different functional states, including those activated by external and internal stimuli. Such structural biology efforts aim to provide a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of how these channels behave in response to stimuli and other modulators.

Results

Conclusion