The menthol receptor TRPM8 is the principal detector of environmental cold

Diana M. Bautista, Jan Siemens, Joshua M. Glazer, Pamela R. Tsuruda, Allan I. Basbaum, Cheryl L. Stucky (), Sven-Eric Jordt () and David Julius ()
Additional contact information
Diana M. Bautista: Department of Physiology,
Jan Siemens: Department of Physiology,
Joshua M. Glazer: Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA
Pamela R. Tsuruda: Department of Physiology,
Allan I. Basbaum: Departments of Anatomy and Physiology,
Cheryl L. Stucky: Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA
Sven-Eric Jordt: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
David Julius: Department of Physiology,

Nature, 2007, vol. 448, issue 7150, 204-208

Abstract: A chilly receptor A variety of different ion channels have been suggested to underlie the detection of cold stimuli, and the role of each of these in detecting innocuous cool versus noxious cold has been much debated. The menthol receptor TRPM8 is a strong candidate as a cold transducer, but its physiological importance has been questioned. A study of cold sensitivity in TRPM8 knockout mice has clarified matters. Mice lacking the receptor are deficient in the ability to sense cold at the cellular level, in intact nerve fibres and in whole animal (behavioural) tests. TRPM8 is clearly the primary contributor to peripheral cold sensation, with animals lacking this channel unable to discriminate between warm and cold surfaces until the temperature drops to below 10 °C.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05910

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