Two signals, one detector

摘要

How an animal can discriminate between two different signals that activate the same molecular detector is a fundamental question in signalling specificity. The ion channels of the TRP family provide notable examples of the phenomenon; for example, TRPA1 responds to both noxious chemicals and innocuous warming. Paul Garrity and colleagues report that Drosophila chemosensory neurons produce a TRPA1 variant with reduced thermosensitivity, causing the flies to respond to harmful chemicals but not to warming.