From chills to chilis: mechanisms for thermosensation and chemesthesis via thermoTRPs

Six highly temperature-sensitive ion channels of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family have been implicated to mediate temperature sensation. These channels, expressed in sensory neurons innervating the skin or the skin itself, are active at specific temperatures ranging from noxious cold to burning heat. In addition to temperature sensation thermoTRPs are the receptors of a growing number of environmental chemicals (chemesthesis). Recent studies have provided some striking new insights into the molecular mechanism of thermal and chemical activation of these biological thermometers.