Convergent Agonist and Heat Activation of Nociceptor TRPM3

Abstract

Detecting noxious heat is vital for survival, triggering pain responses that protect against harm1,2. The TRPM3 channel is a key nociceptor for sensing noxious heat and a promising therapeutic target for pain treatment and neurological disorders such as epilepsy3-11. Here, we functionally and structurally characterized TRPM3 in response to diverse stimuli: the synthetic superagonist CIM0216 Ref12, the anticonvulsant antagonist primidone13,14, and heat1,10,15. Our findings reveal that TRPM3 is intrinsically dynamic, with its intracellular domain (ICD) sampling both resting and activated states, though strongly favoring the resting state without stimulation. CIM0216 binds to the S1-S4 domain, inducing conformational changes in the ICD and shifting the equilibrium toward activation. Remarkably, heat induces similar ICD rearrangements, revealing a converged activation mechanism driven by chemical compounds and temperature. This mechanism is supported by functional data showing that mutations facilitating the ICD movement markedly increase the sensitivity of TRPM3 to both chemical and thermal signals. These findings establish a critical role of the ICD in temperature sensing in TRPM3, a mechanism likely conserved across the TRPM family. Finally, we show that primidone binds to the same site as CIM0216 but acts as an antagonist. This study provides a framework for understanding the thermal sensing mechanisms of temperature-sensitive ion channels and offers a structural foundation for developing TRPM3-target therapeutics for pain and neurological disorders.