Evolution of Thermal Response Properties in a Cold-Activated TRP Channel

Animals sense changes in ambient temperature irrespective of whether core body temperature is internally maintained (homeotherms) or subject to environmental variation (poikilotherms). Here we show that a cold-sensitive ion channel, TRPM8, displays dramatically different thermal activation ranges in frogs versus mammals or birds, consistent with variations in these species' cutaneous and core body temperatures. Thus, somatosensory receptors are not static through evolution, but show functional diversity reflecting the characteristics of an organism's ecological niche

Current distribution of the genus Xenopus in Africa and future prospects

Volume: 91Start Page: 725End Page: 74

Xenopus pygmaeus, a new diploid pipid frog from rain forest of equatorial Africa

Volume: 93Start Page: 755End Page: 76

Xenopus longipes sp. nov., a new polyploid pipid from western Cameroon

Volume: 98Start Page: 731End Page: 73

Ph\ue9notypes matroclines des hybrides r\ue9ciproques entre Xenopus fraseri (Boulenger) et Xenopus muelleri (Peters)

Volume: 79Start Page: 1077End Page: 109