Study Reveals Molecular Basis of Reduced Cold Sensitivity in Salamanders

The ability to sense environmental temperature, which helps animals move away from sub-optimal locations and find those with ideal temperatures, involves various channels on sensory neurons that open at specific temperature ranges. In research published in FEBS Open Bio, scientists found that one such channel-called the transient receptor potential channel TRPM8-from several salamanders that prefer cooler environments exhibits significantly diminished cold sensitivity compared with TRPM8 from frogs, which prefer warmer climates.

The investigators, who conducted their research at the Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, in Japan, found that 8 amino acids at the N-terminus of the TRPM8 protein in the cold-preferring salamanders determines the low temperature sensitivity of the channel. They noted that further work is necessary to understand how these amino acids regulate the cold-induced opening of the TRPM8 channel.

The results provide the first insights into the amino acid–level changes in temperature-sensing channels responsible for tailed amphibians' diminished cold sensitivity.

The findings of this research are expected to significantly contribute to elucidating the mechanisms by which the diversity of animals inhabiting various temperature environments on Earth has emerged."

Osamu Saitoh, PhD, co–corresponding author

"This paper presents novel and intriguing findings regarding the characteristic evolutionary adaptation of TRPM8 cold sensitivity in salamanders," added co–corresponding author Shogo Hori, PhD.