TRP channels in diseases and cancer
Type of class Journal Club
Offered by Medical Neurosciences
Instructor Dr. Stefan Mergler
Schedule Flexible (afternoon preferred)
Location Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Dept. of Ophthalmology (CVK), Library (suggested); alternative location possible.
Contact Dr. Stefan Mergler ()
Target audience Students/Fellows interested in TRP channel research.
ECTS points 0.5
Learning Outcome
Transient receptor potential channels (TRPs) belong to ligand-operated ion channels, which are mostly permeable to Ca2+. In humans, TRPs play an important role in modulating taste sensation, pain and as pheromons. They can be activated by different mechanisms, including physical factors (e.g. change in temperature, mechanical stimuli). In the last decade, there are a lot of publications elucidating the role of TRPs in various cancers and other diseases.
The participants of the course will learn to correctly present and interpret original basic research papers on this specific topic. They will be able to understand some relevant contributions of the TRPs and their typical characteristics. Moreover, the students will understand how certain TRPs will be identified and the relevance of the corresponding methods in electrophysiology (esp. calcium imaging, patch-clamp technique). Finally, the students will learn how to critically discuss a paper and how to manage a moderation.
Structure
- A list of relevant papers will be provided and assigned to the students.
- Paper presentation (e.g. 15 min)
- Beamer can be used if appropriate
- Critical discussion of statistical data and performed experiments (e.g. 15 min)
- Moderation/questionings (during the presentations)
Assignments/Exams
Presentations should be thoroughly prepared. Each student should write a short summary of the paper(s) (Take home message of the paper). Summary and paper presentation can be graded if applicable.
Readings
Mandatory
Study of relevant reviews about TRPs and diseases (and cancer). Some suggestions:
- B. Nilius, G. Owsianik, T. Voets, and J. A. Peters. Transient receptor potential cation channels in disease. Physiol Rev. 87 (1):165–217, 2007.
- B. Nilius and G. Owsianik. Transient receptor potential channelopathies. Pflugers Arch 460 (2):437–450, 2010.
- C. Montell. The TRP superfamily of cation channels. Sci STKE 2005 (272):re3, 2005.
- B. Nilius and G. Owsianik. Channelopathies converge on TRPV4. Nat.Genet. 42 (2):98–100, 2010.
- M. Bodding. TRP proteins and cancer. Cell Signal. 19 (3):617–624, 2007.
Further
Students can suggest original papers on the aforementioned topics which they want to present and discuss.