The Different Roles of The Channel-Kinases TRPM6 and TRPM7

Melastatin-related Transient Receptor Potential 6 and 7 (TRPM6 and TRPM7) are cation channels with the almost unique trait of each possessing a kinase domain in its C terminus. Both the transmembrane pore and kinase are functional, and have been characterized experimentally, but whether one domain regulates the function of the other, or vice versa has remained largely unsettled. These proteins play important physiological roles in magnesium homeostasis and other cellular processes such as cell death, proliferation, differentiation and migration, and are consequently associated with several types of pathologies. Recently, studies performed in mice expressing a TRPM7 kinase-dead mutant suggest that the enzyme may function as part of a Mg(2+) sensor and transducer of signaling pathways during stressful environmental conditions. Additionally, it has been shown that TRPM7's kinase can act on its own in chromatin remodeling processes. Thus, the recent work in this field has provided new insights into the function of these interesting proteins and how they might be involved in human disease.