Structural mechanism of heat-induced opening of a temperature-sensitive TRP channel.
Nadezhdin, K.D., Neuberger, A., Trofimov, Y.A., Krylov, N.A., Sinica, V., Kupko, N., Vlachova, V., Zakharian, E., Efremov, R.G., Sobolevsky, A.I.(2021) Nat Struct Mol Biol 28: 564-572
- PubMed: 34239124 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-021-00615-4
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7MIJ, 7MIK, 7MIL, 7MIM, 7MIN, 7MIO - PubMed Abstract: 
Numerous physiological functions rely on distinguishing temperature through temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential channels (thermo-TRPs). Although the function of thermo-TRPs has been studied extensively, structural determination of their heat- and cold-activated states has remained a challenge. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of the nanodisc-reconstituted wild-type mouse TRPV3 in three distinct conformations: closed, heat-activated sensitized and open states. The heat-induced transformations of TRPV3 are accompanied by changes in the secondary structure of the S2-S3 linker and the N and C termini and represent a conformational wave that links these parts of the protein to a lipid occupying the vanilloid binding site. State-dependent differences in the behavior of bound lipids suggest their active role in thermo-TRP temperature-dependent gating. Our structural data, supported by physiological recordings and molecular dynamics simulations, provide an insight for understanding the molecular mechanism of temperature sensing.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.