Intracellular thermometry uncovers spontaneous thermogenesis and associated thermal signaling

Conventional thermal biology has elucidated the physiological function of temperature homeostasis through spontaneous thermogenesis and responses to variations in environmental temperature in organisms. In addition to research on individual physiological phenomena, the molecular mechanisms of fever and physiological events such as temperature-dependent sex determination have been intensively addressed. Thermosensitive biomacromolecules such as heat shock proteins (HSPs) and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels were systematically identified, and their sophisticated functions were clarified. Complementarily, recent progress in intracellular thermometry has opened new research fields in thermal biology. High-resolution intracellular temperature mapping has uncovered thermogenic organelles, and the thermogenic functions of brown adipocytes were ascertained by the combination of intracellular thermometry and classic molecular biology. In addition, intracellular thermometry has introduced a new concept, thermal signaling, in which temperature variation within biological cells acts as a signal in a cascade of intriguing biological events. Okabe and Uchiyama provide their perspective on the work performed during the past decade on intracellular thermometry and major challenges of the field. Describing the importance of the temperature at both large and cellular scale, they highlight the possible contribution of intracellular thermometry to new biological studies.

Automated summary

Conventional thermal biology has explored the physiological functions of temperature homeostasis and fever, while recent progress in intracellular thermometry has revealed thermogenic organelles and the concept of thermal signaling within biological cells. This has opened new research fields in thermal biology and highlighted the potential contributions of intracellular thermometry to new biological studies.