Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

The regulation of heat exchange at the level of the skin is important, because it is the main avenue to changes in thermal conductance. So, whatever the temperature in the skin is, the skin can be used to give away heat or to prevent its loss to maintain a stable body or organ temperature.
The egg temperature is kept constant within narrow limits, which is compatible with embryonic and fetal development, making the skin region in contact with eggs, the brood patch, a highly temperature sensitive organ in incubating birds.
The regulation of egg temperature requires the transfer of heat from the brood patch skin. Thus, the brood patch needs (1) the presence of thermo receptors and (2) an appropriate vasomotor response.
TRP channels are the likely candidates to explain molecular thermal transduction of broodpatch.Thermo receptors also must trigger a reflex response, which results in vasoconstriction due to skin cooling and vasodilation due to skin heating.
The role of TRP channels in temperature sensation and their potential function as regulators of blood flow through sensory vasoactive neuropeptide release 14 led us to propose the idea that these channels play a role in the blood flow regulation in the brood patch of incubating birds as well and was the basis behind my study.