[2] TRP channels were initially discovered in the trp mutant strain of the fruit fly Drosophila [3] that displayed transient elevation of potential in response to light stimuli, and were therefore named "transient receptor potential" channels.

Later, TRP channels were found in vertebrates where they are ubiquitously expressed in many cell types and tissues.

Although the extent of heteromerization has been the subject of some debate, the most recent research in this area suggest that all four thermosensitive TRPVs (1-4) can form heteromers with each other.

This result is in line with the general observation that TRP coassembly tends to occur between subunits with high sequence similarities.

The table below summarizes the functions and properties of the individual TRPV channel family members:[10][11] human sperm[12] Mutations in TRPs have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders, skeletal dysplasia, kidney disorders,[2] and may play an important role in cancer.

Four TRPVs (TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV3, and TRPV4) are expressed in afferent nociceptors, pain sensing neurons, where they act as transducers of thermal and chemical stimuli.