A Cold-Sensing Receptor Encoded by a Glutamate Receptor Gene
A Cold-Sensing Receptor Encoded by a Glutamate Receptor Gene
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DOI:
10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.034
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发表时间:
2019-09-05
期刊:
影响因子:
64.5
通讯作者:
Xu, X. Z. Shawn
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Gong, Jianke;Liu, Jinzhi;Xu, X. Z. Shawn
In search of the molecular identities of cold-sensing receptors, we carried out an unbiased genetic screen for cold-sensing mutants in C. elegans and isolated a mutant allele of glr-3 gene that encodes a kainate-type glutamate receptor. While glutamate receptors are best known to transmit chemical synaptic signals in the CNS, we show that GLR-3 senses cold in the peripheral sensory neuron ASER to trigger cold-avoidance behavior. GLR-3 transmits cold signals via G protein signaling independently of its glutamate-gated channel function, suggesting GLR-3 as a metabotropic cold receptor. The vertebrate GLR-3 homolog GluK2 from zebrafish, mouse, and human can all function as a cold receptor in heterologous systems. Mouse DRG sensory neurons ex- prc GluK2, and GluK2 knockdown in these neurons suppresses their sensitivity to cold but not cool temperatures. Our study identifies an evolutionarily conserved cold receptor, revealing that a central chemical receptor unexpectedly functions as a thermal receptor in the periphery.