How Chili Peppers Helped Nobel Prize Winners Understand How We Feel Heat

Drawing of David Julius (left) & Ardem Patapoutian (right)

The 2021 Nobel Prize winners in physiology and medicine have been recently announced. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian were awarded for their discoveries in the mechanics of receptors for temperature, touch, and pressure.

Although they worked independently, their findings were connected as they helped us understand how humans convert physical factors into nerve impulses.

The starting point for this research was Julius’ experiments with chili peppers. Knowing that peppers are triggers for pain, the doctor investigated capsaicin, the compound responsible for the burning sensation.

Along with his team, Julius created a library of millions of DNA fragments encoding proteins in sensory neurons that react to pain, heat, and touch. Then, the researchers had to deduce which one reacted with capsaicin. To do this, they introduced the genes into cells that rarely respond to this compound until they identified the one that made this reaction possible.

Once this capsaicin receptor was discovered, Julius noticed that it also responded to heat at painful temperatures. This realization is a tremendous step towards understanding the mechanism for nerve activation.

Similarly, Patapoutian’s work was a significant advance in this field of study. His team’s focus was on skin sensors and internal organs that respond to mechanical stimuli.

Using a micropipette, they found a cell line that reacted when its individual cells were poked. After that, the team of scientists identified 72 genes that could encode receptors and turned them off one by one. This way, they could locate the one responsible for this sensitivity.

This gene corresponded to a receptor called Piezo1, which regulates multiple functions sensitive to stretch. Soon after, they discovered Piezo2, a touch-sensitive receptor that senses the body's position and movement.

Even though they may seem minor details, both discoveries are extremely important for the molecular analysis of touch. For years, scientists have not known what to look for, as it is not an isolated part of the body. Due to its complexity and reach, this sensory system has been the least explored up to now.

Therefore, the scientists’ work opens up lots of possibilities. Some experts expect these findings to be vital in the development of treatments related to pain. Others believe they only have significance at a theoretical level. Either way, Julius and Patapoutian have made a major discovery for the scientific community.

Bibliography

Ahlander, J. & Burger, L. (2021, October 4) Two Americans win Medicine Nobel for work on heat and touch. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/julius-patapoutian-win-2021-nobel-prize-medicine-2021-10-04/

Kottasnová, I. & Hunt, K. (2021, October 4) How chili peppers helped Nobel Prize winners understand how we feel heat. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/04/health/nobel-prize-medicine-physiology-winner-2021/index.html

Milligan, C. (2021, October 4) Why Chili Peppers Are So Important To These 2021 Nobel Prize Winners. Mashed. https://www.mashed.com/623459/why-chili-peppers-are-so-important-to-these-2021-nobel-prize-winners/?utm_campaign=clip

Mueller, B., et. al. (2021, October 4) Nobel Prize Awarded for Research About Temperature and Touch. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/health/nobel-prize-medicine-physiology-temperature-touch.html

Sample, I. (2021, October 4) Nobel prize in medicine awarded to US duo for work on sense of touch. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/04/nobel-prize-in-medicine-awarded-to-us-duo-for-work-on-sense-of-touch