- Born:
- November 4, 1955, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. (age 71)
- Awards And Honors:
- Nobel Prize (2021)
David Julius
-
Who is David Julius?
David Julius, born November 4, 1955, is an American physiologist celebrated for his groundbreaking discovery of heat- and cold-sensing receptors in skin nerve endings. His work on the TRPV1 receptor and other temperature-sensitive molecules has significantly enhanced our understanding of how the nervous system perceives temperature and pain, paving the way for innovative pain treatments.
Julius's academic journey includes a B.S. from MIT (1977) and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (1984). He later joined the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 1989.
His pioneering research has earned him numerous accolades, including the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Ardem Patapoutian), the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (2010), and the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience (2020). He is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What field of science does David Julius work in?
David Julius is an American physiologist who works in the field of physiology, specifically known for his discovery of heat- and cold-sensing receptors in the nerve endings of the skin. His work has contributed significantly to understanding how the human nervous system senses temperature and pain. Julius's research also facilitated novel strategies for pain treatment. His area of focus is somatosensation, particularly the molecular mechanisms underlying pain. He identified a receptor in the skin that responds to heat, isolating it as an ion channel called TRPV1. He also contributed to the discovery of other temperature-sensitive ion channels, known as the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family, including the first cold-sensing receptor, TRPM8. TRP channels are involved in sensory reception, including thermoreception, chemoreception, mechanoreception, and photoreception.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is David Julius best known for studying?
David Julius is an American physiologist best known for his groundbreaking research on heat- and cold-sensing receptors located in the nerve endings of the skin. His work led to the identification of TRPV1, a receptor that responds to heat, and his contributions extended to the discovery of other temperature-sensitive ion channels, including TRPM8, the first cold-sensing receptor. These discoveries have provided insights into how the nervous system senses temperature and pain and have opened new avenues for pain treatment strategies. For these discoveries, he shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ardem Patapoutian.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did David Julius discover how we sense heat and pain?
David Julius discovered how we sense heat and pain through his work on somatosensation. While at the University of California, San Francisco, Julius utilized gene cloning to find a receptor in the skin that responds to heat. He isolated this molecule, identifying it as an ion channel called TRPV1. Later, Julius contributed to the discovery of other temperature-sensitive ion channels, including TRPM8, the first cold-sensing receptor. With Yifan Cheng, Julius also determined the structures of TRP channels using cryogenic electron microscopy. His work enabled a new understanding of how temperature triggers electrical signaling and sensation in the nervous system.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the TRPV1 receptor, and why is it important in David Julius’s work?
The TRPV1 receptor is an ion channel in cell membranes that is part of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily. These channels are involved in sensory reception, including thermoreception, chemoreception, mechanoreception, and photoreception.
David Julius is known for discovering heat- and cold-sensing receptors in the skin's nerve endings. His work elucidated TRPV1 as a receptor that responds to heat and capsaicin, the compound responsible for the burning sensation associated with chili peppers. Julius's study of TRPV1 provided new insights into how the nervous system senses heat, cold, and pain and facilitated research into pain treatment strategies.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What awards or honors has David Julius received for his scientific discoveries?
David Julius is an American physiologist celebrated for his groundbreaking work on heat- and cold-sensing receptors. For his discoveries, Julius has received several prestigious awards and honors.
Julius's awards and honors:
- 2021: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Ardem Patapoutian)
- 2020: Kavli Prize in Neuroscience (shared with Patapoutian)
- 2020: Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2017: Canada Gairdner International Award
- 2010: Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
David Julius (born November 4, 1955, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American physiologist known for his discovery of heat- and cold-sensing receptors in the nerve endings of the skin. His elucidation of a receptor known as TRPV1, along with his subsequent contributions to the discovery of additional temperature-sensitive receptor molecules, gave new insight into how the human nervous system senses heat, cold, and pain. His studies of TRPV1 further facilitated research into novel strategies for the treatment of pain. For his breakthroughs, he was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Lebanese-born American molecular biologist and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian.
Julius studied life sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whence he graduated with a B.S. degree in 1977. He subsequently attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he investigated mechanisms underlying the processing and secretion of peptides in yeast. In 1984, after earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry, Julius went to Columbia University. There, working as a postdoctoral researcher, he applied gene cloning technologies and identified genes belonging to the serotonin receptor family. In 1989 Julius left Columbia to join the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
At UCSF Julius became interested in ion channels and understanding molecular mechanisms underlying somatosensation, particularly the sensation of pain. At the time, capsaicin, the pungent principle responsible for the burning sensation associated with red peppers (Capsicum), had been recently identified as an excitatory, or activating, compound at certain somatosensory neurons. However, the specific receptor to which capsaicin bound to produce the burning sensation was unknown. Using gene cloning strategies, Julius was able to uncover a receptor in the skin that responded to heat. He subsequently isolated the molecule and identified it as an ion channel, which he called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1).
Julius later contributed to the discovery of other temperature-sensitive ion channels, which became known as the transient receptor potential, or TRP, channel family. Included in the TRP channel family was the first cold-sensing receptor to be discovered, TRPM8 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8), which Julius helped characterize. Together with Chinese-born biophysicist and structural biologist Yifan Cheng, Julius also deduced the structures of TRP channels, notably TRPV1 and TRPA1 (the latter sometimes also called the wasabi receptor) in near-atomic detail by using cryogenic electron microscopy. The discovery and characterization of TRP channels enabled new understanding of how temperature triggers electrical signaling and sensation in the nervous system.
In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize, Julius received the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (2010), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2017), the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience (2020; shared with Patapoutian), and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2020). He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (elected 2004) and a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (elected 2021).