TRP Channels and Axon Pathfinding

Excerpt

Transient receptor potential channels (TRP) are a large family of cationic channels that are permeable to Ca²⁺allowing these channels to participate in a wide range of physiological processes that require Ca²⁺ signaling. In recent years, TRP channels have been found to play a role in many processes in the nervous system, such as the transduction of sensory stimulation [1], neuronal cell death [2], proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells [3,4], nerve growth [5], and synaptic transmission [6–9]. One interesting recent discovery shows that TRPC (canonical) channels are involved in the signal transduction of axon guidance during brain development.