cells Review Heteromeric TRP Channels in Lung Inflammation Meryam Zergane 1, Wolfgang M. Kuebler 1,2,3,4,5,* and Laura Michalick 1,2 1 Institute of Physiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117 Berlin, Germany;
[email protected] (M.Z.);
[email protected] (L.M.) 2 German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), 10785 Berlin, Germany 3 German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 35392 Gießen, Germany 4 The Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada 5 Department of Surgery and Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Activation of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels can disrupt endothelial bar- rier function, as their mediated Ca2+ influx activates the CaM (calmodulin)/MLCK (myosin light chain kinase)-signaling pathway, and thereby rearranges the cytoskeleton, increases endothelial permeability and thus can facilitate activation of inflammatory cells and formation of pulmonary edema. Interestingly, TRP channel subunits can build heterotetramers, whereas heteromeric TRPC1/4, TRPC3/6 and TRPV1/4 are expressed in the lung endothelium and could be targeted as a protec- tive strategy to reduce endothelial permeability in pulmonary inflammation. An update on TRP heteromers and their role in lung inflammation will be provided with this review. Keywords: heteromeric TRP assemblies; pulmonary inflammation; endothelial permeability; TRPC3/6; TRPV1/4; TRPC1/4 Citation: Zergane, M.; Kuebler, W.M.; Michalick, L. Heteromeric TRP Channels in Lung Inflammation. Cells 1. Introduction 2021, 10, 1654. https://doi.org Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells are a key constituent of the blood air bar- /10.3390/cells10071654 rier that has to be extremely thin (<1 µm) to allow for rapid and efficient alveolo-capillary gas exchange.