TRP channel function in platelets and megakaryocytes: basic mechanisms and pathophysiological impact.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins form a superfamily of cation channels that are expressed in a wide range of tissues and cell types. During the last years, great progress has been made in understanding the molecular complexity and the functions of TRP channels in diverse cellular processes, including cell proliferation, migration, adhesion and activation. The diversity of functions depends on multiple regulatory mechanisms by which TRP channels regulate Ca entry mechanisms and intracellular Ca dynamics, either through membrane depolarization involving cation influx or store- and receptor-operated mechanisms.