2018
Somatosensory Neurons Enter a State of Altered Excitability during Hibernation
Hoffstaetter LJ, Mastrotto M, Merriman DK, Dib-Hajj SD, Waxman SG, Bagriantsev SN, Gracheva EO. Somatosensory Neurons Enter a State of Altered Excitability during Hibernation. Current Biology 2018, 28: 2998-3004.e3. PMID: 30174191, PMCID: PMC6173314, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSomatosensory neuronsAction potentialsPeripheral somatosensory neuronsVoltage-gated sodium channelsTherapeutic hypothermiaAltered excitabilityFunctional deficitsCase of neuronsSensory functionFiring patternsNeuronsCold exposureInput resistanceSodium channelsRapid restorationBody temperatureHypometabolismHypothermiaDevelopment of strategiesSensory informationProlonged periodAdaptive responseArousalCNSExcitability
2017
Molecular Prerequisites for Diminished Cold Sensitivity in Ground Squirrels and Hamsters
Matos-Cruz V, Schneider ER, Mastrotto M, Merriman DK, Bagriantsev SN, Gracheva EO. Molecular Prerequisites for Diminished Cold Sensitivity in Ground Squirrels and Hamsters. Cell Reports 2017, 21: 3329-3337. PMID: 29262313, PMCID: PMC5741102, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.083.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTransmembrane domainCold toleranceCold sensitivityGround squirrelsRat orthologMolecular adaptationsMammalian hibernatorsReciprocal mutationsAmino acidsFunctional significanceOrthologsSquirrelsMolecular prerequisitesActive stateHibernatorsTRPM8Somatosensory neuronsTolerancePoor activationSpeciesDomainMutationsResiduesHibernationCells