The results of this study were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Specialists from the University of Michigan have finally identified the protein responsible for the feeling of cold in humans. It is associated with a special gene. Discuss© CC0 Public Domain
In a recent study, a team of scientists from the Life Sciences Institute and the College of Letters, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan tested one hypothesis on mice that did not have the GluK2 protein gene. These mice, as one might guess, were unable to produce a protein associated with the sensation of extreme cold.
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During several experiments, it was discovered that laboratory mice normally responded to high, warm and low temperatures, but did not show any reaction to toxic cold.
The GluK2 protein is mainly found in neurons of the brain, where it receives chemical signals to facilitate communication between neurons. This substance is also produced in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system (outside the brain and spinal cord).