TRPM

---

title: "TRPM" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["membrane-proteins", "ion-channels"] description: "Family of transport proteins" topic_path: "general/membrane-proteins" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRPM" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Family of transport proteins ::

TRPM is a family of transient receptor potential ion channels (M standing for wikt:melastatin). Functional TRPM channels are believed to form tetramers. The TRPM family consists of eight different channels, TRPM1–TRPM8.

Unlike the TRPC and TRPV sub-families, TRPM subunits do not contain N-terminal ankyrin repeat motifs but, rather, contain entire functional proteins in their C-termini. TRPM6 and TRPM7, for example, contain functional α-kinase segments, which are a type of serine/threonine-specific protein kinase.

Permeability and activation

The relative permeability of calcium and magnesium varies widely among TRPM channels.

• TRPM4 and TRPM5 are impermeable to calcium.
• TRPM3, TRPM6 and TRPM7 are highly permeable to both calcium and magnesium.

The mechanism of activation also varies greatly among TRPM channels.

• TRPM2 is activated by ADP-ribose adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose and functions as a sensor of redox status in cells.
• TRPM4 and TRPM5 are activated by intracellular calcium.
• TRPM8 can be activated by low temperatures, menthol, eucalyptol and icilin.

Functions

Among the functional responsibilities of the TRPM channels are:

• regulation of calcium oscillations after T cell activation and prevention of cardiac conduction disorders (TRPM4).
• modulation of insulin secretion and sensory transduction in taste cells (TRPM5).
• cold sensation (TRPM8).
• heat sensation and inflammatory pain (TRPM3).
• regulation of magnesium reabsorption in the kidneys and absorption in the intestines (TRPM6).
• regulation of cell adhesion (TRPM7).

Genes

• TRPM1, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM5, TRPM6, TRPM7, TRPM8

References

References

1. (2005). "The mammalian melastatin-related transient receptor potential cation channels: an overview". Pflügers Arch.
2. Jiang LH. (2007). "Subunit interaction in channel assembly and functional regulation of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) channels". Biochem Soc Trans.
3. (2011). "TRP channels in neurogastroenterology: opportunities for therapeutic intervention". British Journal of Pharmacology.
4. (2002). "LTRPC2 Ca2+-permeable channel activated by changes in redox status confers susceptibility to cell death". Mol Cell.
5. (2004). "Characterization of the mouse cold-menthol receptor TRPM8 and vanilloid receptor type-1 VR1 using a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) assay". Br. J. Pharmacol..
6. (2007). "Transient receptor potential cation channels in disease". Physiol. Rev..
7. (2004). "TRPM4 regulates calcium oscillations after T cell activation". Science.
8. (2014). "TRPM4.".
9. (31 March 2017). "Steviol glycosides enhance pancreatic beta-cell function and taste sensation by potentiation of TRPM5 channel activity.". Nature Communications.
10. (2014). "TRPM3 in temperature sensing and beyond.". Temperature (Austin, Tex.).
11. (2002). "Hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia is caused by mutations in TRPM6, a new member of the TRPM gene family". Nat. Genet..
12. (2006). "TRPM7 regulates cell adhesion by controlling the calcium-dependent protease calpain". J. Biol. Chem..

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::