BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Researchers using genetically engineered mice say they have pinpointed a receptor in sensory nerve cells that is the mechanism the body uses to sense cold temperatures.

    This receptor and others involved in sensing temperatures offer potential targets for developing pain-relieving drugs, said David Julius, a physiology professor at the University of California at San Francisco who worked on the study.

    "I think it's quite likely that these results translate to other mammals, including us," Julius said in a telephone interview.

    Knowledge of the cold-sensing role of "menthol receptor TRPM8" could have medical implications such as improving the treatment of certain types of chronic pain, he said.

    The identity of the receptor for cold sensation had eluded researchers in the field of sensory physiology. The TRPM8 receptor had been seen as a strong possibility. Such a receptor sitting on the surface of a sensory nerve fiber can be activated by certain stimulation like hot or cold, leading to a signal sent through the spinal cord to the brain.

    The researchers found in 2002 that this receptor was activated when exposed to chemical cooling agents like menthol, a natural product of mint, and to cool air.

    They confirmed the role of this receptor in this study by creating mice without the gene that controls it. The mice were unable to discriminate between warm and cold until temperatures were lowered to extremes, the study found.

    (Agencies)