Defining the Functional Expression of TRPV4 in Sensory Ganglia and the Gastrointestinal Tract

Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a widely expressed sensory protein activated by diverse stimuli ranging from mechanical stress to inflammatory lipids and heat. Current research focuses predominantly on how TRPV4 expressed by nerve cells contributes to pain and inflammation. Using fine dissection techniques and imaging based methods, we identified TRPV4 expression by numerous non-neuronal cells, both surrounding pain sensing nerve cells, and in the gut. Thus, many processes considered as originating from nerve cells possibly initiate from non-neuronal cells. The findings of this thesis have major implications for drug discovery, and for our understanding of TRPV4-mediated cellular processes.