Diverging roles of TRPV1 and TRPM2 in warm-temperature detection [data]

The accurate perception of innocuous temperatures, particularly those experienced as pleasantly warm, is essential for achieving thermal comfort and maintaining thermoregulatory balance. Warm-sensitive neurons (WSN) innervating the skin play a central role in non-painful warmth detection. The TRP ion channels TRPV1 and TRPM2 have been suggested as sensors of warm temperature in WSNs. However, the precise contribution of these channels to the process of warmth detection is not fully understood.
A significant challenge in analysing WSNs lies in their scarcity: fewer than 10 % of sensory neurons in the rodent dorsal root ganglion (DRG) respond to innocuous warm temperatures. In this study, we examined >20,000 cultured mouse DRG neurons using calcium imaging and discovered distinct contributions of TRPV1 and TRPM2 to warm temperature sensitivity. TRPV1 and TRPM2 affect the abundance of WSNs, with TRPV1 mediating the rapid, dynamic response to warmth.
By carefully tracking animal movement in a whole-body thermal preference paradigm, we observe that these cellular differences correlate with nuanced thermal behaviours. Utilizing a driftdiffusion model to quantitatively analyse the decision-making process of animals exposed to different environmental temperatures, we found that: TRPV1 primarily impairs the precision of evidence accumulation, whereas TRPM2 significantly increases the total duration of exposure to uncomfortably warm environments.
Our findings provide valuable insights into the distinct molecular responses to warmth stimuli, and underpin the subtle aspects of thermal decision-making when encountering minor temperature variations.