Phosphoinositide Interacting Regulator Of Transient Receptor Potential Channels (PIRT)

The C terminus of Pirt bound to TRPV1 and to most phosphoinositides tested, and it was required for enhancement of TRPV1 activity by phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2).  mouse Pirt contains 135 amino acids and is highly conserved among vertebrates, including human. Mouse and human PIRT have 2 transmembrane domains and a putative C-terminal phosphoinositide-binding domain. In situ hybridization showed that Pirt was specifically expressed in mouse peripheral nervous system, with high levels in dorsal root ganglion and trigeminal neurons, and lower levels in sympathetic and enteric neurons. Pirt was not expressed in spinal cord. Expression of Pirt in mouse dorsal root ganglia began around embryonic day 11.5. Epitope-tagged mouse Pirt was expressed at the cell membrane of transfected human embryonic kidney cells and rat PC12 cells.