Description
Product Characteristics: TRPM5 is a voltage-modulated Ca(2+)-activated, monovalent cation channel (VCAM) that mediates a transient membrane depolarization and plays a central role in taste transduction. It is activated by arachidonic acid in vitro. It may be involved in perception of bitter, sweet and umami tastes. It may also be involved in sensing semiochemicals.
Target Information: This gene encodes a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) protein family, which is a diverse group of proteins with structural features typical of ion channels. This protein plays an important role in taste transduction, and has characteristics of a calcium-activated, non-selective cation channel that carries Na+, K+, and Cs+ ions equally well, but not Ca(2+) ions. It is activated by lower concentrations of intracellular Ca(2+), and inhibited by higher concentrations. It is also a highly temperature-sensitive, heat activated channel showing a steep increase of inward currents at temperatures between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius. This gene is located within the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome critical region-1 on chromosome 11p15.5, and has been shown to be imprinted, with exclusive expression from the paternal allele. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2010]