Designing the GALAXY study: Partnering with the cystic fibrosis community to optimize assessment of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement among persons with cystic fibrosis (CF) is highly prevalent, representing a significant source of morbidity. Persons with CF have identified GI concerns as a top research priority, yet universal clinical outcome measures capturing many of the GI symptoms experienced in CF are lacking. The GALAXY study was envisioned to address this unmet need.

Mechanism for phosphoinositide selectivity and activation of TRPV1 ion channels.

Although PI(4,5)P2 is believed to play an essential role in regulating the activity of numerous ion channels and transporters, the mechanisms by which it does so are unknown. Here, we used the ability of the TRPV1 ion channel to discriminate between PI(4,5)P2 and PI(4)P to localize the region of TRPV1 sequence that interacts directly with the phosphoinositide. We identified a point mutation in the proximal C-terminal region after the TRP box, R721A, that inverted the selectivity of TRPV1.

Regulation of TRPV1 ion channel by phosphoinositide (4,5)-bisphosphate: the role of membrane asymmetry.

Membrane asymmetry is essential for generating second messengers that act in the cytosol and for trafficking of membrane proteins and membrane lipids, but the role of asymmetry in regulating membrane protein function remains unclear. Here we show that the signaling lipid phosphoinositide 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) has opposite effects on the function of TRPV1 ion channels depending on which leaflet of the cell membrane it resides in. We observed potentiation of capsaicin-activated TRPV1 currents by PI(4,5)P2 in the intracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane but inhibition of capsaicin-activated currents when PI(4,5)P2 was in both leaflets of the membrane, although much higher concentrations of PI(4,5)P2 in the extracellular leaflet were required for inhibition compared with the concentrations of PI(4,5)P2 in the intracellular leaflet that produced activation.

The zebrafish ortholog of TRPV1 is required for heat-induced locomotion.

The ability to detect hot temperatures is critical to maintaining body temperature and avoiding injury in diverse animals from insects to mammals. Zebrafish embryos, when given a choice, actively avoid hot temperatures and display an increase in locomotion similar to that seen when they are exposed to noxious compounds such as mustard oil. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the single zebrafish ortholog of TRPV1/2 may have arisen from an evolutionary precursor of the mammalian TRPV1 and TRPV2.