User login
A Protein Needed to Signal Pain from Extreme Cold
Submitted by Paul on Sat, 2007-06-16 02:16.
A 'Nature' article (doi:10.1038/news070611-8) How a chill pains us by Heidi Ledford, identifies a protein in mice that signals pain in response to extreme cold. The protein, Nav1.8, was already known and had been linked to detection of tissue damage and pain resulting from damaged nerves.
The specific activity associated with Nav1.8 during very cold temperatures entails making it easier for sodium ions to pass through neuron cell membranes. That in turn enables signal transmission along nerve fibers. Unsurprisingly the protein functions well in cold temperatures, unlike many other proteins.