2023/07/21
National Institute for Physiological Sciences
Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems
Saga University
Keio University School of Medicine
Tokyo University of Technology
We perceive external temperatures through sensory nerves, and these signals are sent to the brain, creating sensations of hot, cold, and warm. However, whether the skin, the largest organ covering our entire body, also senses temperature has surprisingly been a matter of debate. Now, a research group including Professor Makoto Tominaga of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, NIPS Research Fellow Lei Jing, Professor Mizuho Kido of Saga University, Professor Masayuki Amagai of the Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, and Professor Takeshi Matsui of Tokyo University of Technology has revealed that TRPV3 in the skin's epidermal cells senses warm temperatures, leading to temperature-dependent behaviors. This study clarifies that skin epidermal cells are involved in temperature sensation, putting an end to a recent debate. The results of this research were published in Nature Communications (embargo lifted at 6:00 PM JST on July 20, 2023).
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