Preface of Special Issue “TRP channels: their functional roles in medical sciences”

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are nonselective cation channels (mainly Ca2+) that play critical roles as cellular sensors, including contributions to vision, taste, olfaction, hearing, touch, and thermo-, chemo- and osmo-sensation. The activation of a TRP channel changes the membrane potential, translocates important signaling ions cross the cell membrane, alters enzyme activity and so on. Thus, from the viewpoint of physical chemistry, studies on TRP channels have gained widespread attention for the past three decades. In fact, many review papers on TRP channels can be found in databases (e.g., see [1] as a recent review).