Vanilloid and TRP channels: a family of lipid-gated cation channels

The emergence of the TRP (C) and vanilloid (TRPV) receptor family of Ca 2+ permeable channels has started to provide molecular focus to a linked group of ion channels whose common feature is activation primarily by intracellular ligands. These channels have a central role in Ca 2+ homeostasis in virtually all cells and in particular those that lack voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels. We will discuss recent work that is more precisely defining both molecular form and physiological function of this important group of Ca 2+ permeable channels with particular focus on the intracellular ligands that gate and modulate channel activity.