Scientists have discovered a protein that helps people feel cold

Scientists have discovered a protein that helps people feel cold

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Scientists have discovered a protein that allows humans and other mammals to feel cold. It should help to understand why in some diseases low temperatures are perceived too painfully.

About this informs Medical Xpress citing research, published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience.

“The search for these temperature sensors began more than 20 years ago, when the heat-sensing protein TRPV1 was discovered.

Various studies have found proteins that respond to hot, warm, and even cool temperatures, but we couldn’t confirm that they sense temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5°C – ed.).” – said the co-author of the study Sean Xu.

In 2019, under his guidance, scientists identified the first cold receptor protein in millimeter worms of the species Caenorhabditis elegans.

The gene that encodes it has been evolutionarily conserved in many species, including humans and mice. Therefore, this discovery was the beginning of the study of the cold sensor in mammals – the GluK2 protein.

Researchers from the University of Michigan tested their hypothesis on mice that lacked the GluK2 gene – they could not produce this protein.

Scientists tested the behavioral reactions of animals to temperature and other mechanical stimuli. They found that the mice reacted normally to hot, warm and cool temperatures, but they had no reaction to extreme cold.

GluK2 is mainly found in neurons in the brain, where it receives chemical signals to facilitate communication between neurons. But it is also present in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system.

The GluK2 gene has relatives all over the evolutionary tree, starting with unicellular bacteria.

According to Xu, the discovery fills a gap in the understanding of temperature perception and may help people with this process. For example, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy often have a painful reaction to the cold.

“The discovery of GluK2 as a cold sensor in mammals paves the way for a better understanding of why humans experience pain responses to cold, and may even open up the potential to treat this pain in patients.” – noted the researcher.

We will remind, scientists discovered blood proteins that can warn about the development of dementia.