Yoshinori Takada, Tomohiro Numata and Yasuo Mori Pages 322 - 334 ( 13 )
Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis present a significant medical challenge in the modern world. Recent evidence indicates that perturbation of neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis is involved in the pathogenesis of these neurodegenerative disorders. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are non-selective cation channels that are expressed in various cell types and tissues, and play an important role in regulating Ca2+ signaling in both non-neuronal and neuronal cells. TRP channels are related to the onset or progression of several diseases, and defects in the genes encoding TRP channels (so-called “TRP channelopathies”) underlie certain neurodegenerative disorders due to their abnormal Ca2+ signaling properties. In this article, we review recent findings regarding the relationship between TRPs and neurodegenerative disorders, and discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting TRP channels pharmacologically.
TRP channels, neurodegenerative disorders, oxidative stress, Ca2+ homeostasis, neuronal cell death, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy, ataxia, bipolar disorders, ischemia, stroke, muscle atrophy, channelopathy
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan.