TRP Channel Structural Biology: New Roles for an Old Fold

The capsaicin receptor, TRPV1, contributes to thermal and chemical sensitivity of primary afferent neurons of the pain pathway, but many aspects of its regulation remain elusive. In this issue of Neuron, Lishko et al. describe a high-resolution structure of a TRPV1 domain, providing insight into the molecular basis of channel modulation while revealing new functions for a widely expressed protein interaction fold.