Receptor-activated non-selective cation channel involved in pain detection and possibly also in cold perception, oxygen concentration perception, cough, itch, and inner ear function ( , ). Shows 8-fold preference for divalent over monovalent cations . Has a central role in the pain response to endogenous inflammatory mediators and to a diverse array of irritants, such as allylthiocyanate (AITC) from mustard oil or wasabi, cinnamaldehyde, diallyl disulfide (DADS) from garlic, and acrolein, an irritant from tears gas and vehicle exhaust fumes ( , ). Acts also as an ionotropic cannabinoid receptor by being activated by delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana . Is activated by a large variety of structurally unrelated electrophilic and non-electrophilic chemical compounds. Electrophilic ligands activate TRPA1 by interacting with critical N-terminal Cys residues in a covalent manner, whereas mechanisms of non-electrophilic ligands are not well determined. May be a component for the mechanosensitive transduction channel of hair cells in inner ear, thereby participating in the perception of sounds. Probably operated by a phosphatidylinositol second messenger system (By similarity).
Subcellular locations: Cell membrane
Expressed at very low levels in fibroblasts.