Diversity and spatial segregation of TRP channels in the closest relatives of animals.
- 1Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Bergen 5006, Norway.
Abstract
Sensory systems, built around specialized cell types, are central to how animals perceive and respond to their environments. However, the evolutionary origin of these systems remains unclear. Here, we show that choanoflagellates, the sister group of animals, possess remarkably diverse repertoires of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, an ancient superfamily of sensory ion channels. Comparative analyses indicate that most major animal TRP channel families predate the origin of animals and reveal extensive radiations of the TRPM and TRPW families within choanoflagellates, with the latter family likely being lost in the animal lineage. Furthermore, in the choanoflagellate model Salpingoeca rosetta, TRPA, TRPC and TRPV occupy discrete microdomains within the collar complex, a key interface for environmental sensing and feeding. We propose that the evolution of animal sensory systems involved both expansion and reorganization of this ancestral repertoire, with subcellular patterning in unicellular organisms representing a precursor to cell-type specialization in multicellular animals.
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BibTeX
@article{mannsaker2026diversity,
title = {{Diversity and spatial segregation of TRP channels in the closest relatives of animals.}},
author = {Simen Mannsåker and Pawel Burkhardt and Jeffrey Colgren},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2625484123},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42842415},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diversity and spatial segregation of TRP channels in the closest relatives of animals.
AU - Simen Mannsåker
AU - Pawel Burkhardt
AU - Jeffrey Colgren
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2625484123
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42842415
AB - Sensory systems, built around specialized cell types, are central to how animals perceive and respond to their environments. However, the evolutionary origin of these systems remains unclear. Here, we show that choanoflagellates, the sister group of animals, possess remarkably diverse repertoires of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, an ancient superfamily of sensory ion channels. Comparative analyses indicate that most major animal TRP channel families predate the origin of animals and reveal extensive radiations of the TRPM and TRPW families within choanoflagellates, with the latter family likely being lost in the animal lineage. Furthermore, in the choanoflagellate model Salpingoeca rosetta, TRPA, TRPC and TRPV occupy discrete microdomains within the collar complex, a key interface for environmental sensing and feeding. We propose that the evolution of animal sensory systems involved both expansion and reorganization of this ancestral repertoire, with subcellular patterning in unicellular organisms representing a precursor to cell-type specialization in multicellular animals.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -