| Infrared snake eyes: TRPA1 and the thermal sensitivity of the snake pit organ. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20571127 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The pit organs of pit vipers, pythons, and boas are remarkable sensory devices that allow these snakes to detect infrared radiation emitted by warm-blooded prey. It has been theorized that this capacity reflects the pit organ's exceptional sensitivity to subtle fluctuations in temperature, but the molecules responsible for this extreme thermal resolution have been unknown. New evidence shows that pit organs respond to temperature using the warmth-activated cation channel TRPA1 (transient receptor potential ankyrin 1), a finding that provides a first glimpse of the underlying molecular hardware. The properties of these snake TRPA1s raise intriguing questions about the mechanisms responsible for the exceptional sensitivity of many biological thermoreceptors and about the evolutionary origins of these warmth-activated TRP channels. |
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Authors:
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Vincent C Panzano; Kyeongjin Kang; Paul A Garrity |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article Date: 2010-06-22 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Science signaling Volume: 3 ISSN: 1937-9145 ISO Abbreviation: Sci Signal Publication Date: 2010 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-06-23 Completed Date: 2010-10-29 Revised Date: 2011-02-18 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101465400 Medline TA: Sci Signal Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: pe22 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Biology, National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02458, USA. |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Boidae / physiology* Feeding Behavior / physiology Infrared Rays Neurons / physiology Predatory Behavior Snakes / physiology* TRPC Cation Channels / physiology* Temperature Trigeminal Ganglion / physiology Viperidae / physiology |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/TRPC Cation Channels |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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