Cold- and TRPM8-dependent shaking in mammals and birds

Removing cold water from wet fur or feathers can help endothermic animals to thermoregulate. The "wet dog shakes" (WDS) behavior has been largely characterized in mammals but to a much lesser extent in birds. Although it is known that TRPM8 is the main molecular transducer of low temperature in mammals, it is not clear if wetness-induced shaking in furred and feathered animals is dependent on TRPM8. Here, we show that a novel TRPM8 agonist induces WDS in rodents, and also in birds, similar to the shaking behavior evoked by water-spraying. Furthermore, the WDS onset depends on TRPM8, as we show in water-sprayed mice. Overall, our results provide multiple evidence for a TRPM8 dependence of WDS behaviors in all tested species. These suggest that a convergent evolution selected similar shaking behaviors to expel water from fur and feathers, with TRPM8 being involved in cold wetness sensing in both mammals and birds.

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications Biology
Published
2025-12-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09370-4
Primary Topic
Ion Channels and Receptors
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Cold- and TRPM8-dependent shaking in mammals and birds

Ramona-Andreea Bivoleanu, Violeta-Maria Caragea, Alexandra Manolache, Rathej Meerupally et al.
Communications Biology
Ion Channels and Receptors
article

Cold- and TRPM8-dependent shaking in mammals and birds

Ramona-Andreea Bivoleanu, Violeta-Maria Caragea, Alexandra Manolache, Rathej Meerupally, A. Babes, Katharina Zimmermann, Earl Carstens, Mirela Iodi Carstens, Edward T. Wei, Debora-Elena Huțanu, Tudor Selescu
article en

Abstract

Removing cold water from wet fur or feathers can help endothermic animals to thermoregulate. The "wet dog shakes" (WDS) behavior has been largely characterized in mammals but to a much lesser extent in birds. Although it is known that TRPM8 is the main molecular transducer of low temperature in mammals, it is not clear if wetness-induced shaking in furred and feathered animals is dependent on TRPM8. Here, we show that a novel TRPM8 agonist induces WDS in rodents, and also in birds, similar to the shaking behavior evoked by water-spraying. Furthermore, the WDS onset depends on TRPM8, as we show in water-sprayed mice. Overall, our results provide multiple evidence for a TRPM8 dependence of WDS behaviors in all tested species. These suggest that a convergent evolution selected similar shaking behaviors to expel water from fur and feathers, with TRPM8 being involved in cold wetness sensing in both mammals and birds.

Communications BiologyVol. 9(1)
University of Bucharest (RO), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (DE), Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen (DE), University of California, Davis (US), University of California, Berkeley (US)
Ministerul Cercetării, Inovării şi Digitalizării, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, International Brain Research Organization, Unitatea Executiva pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior, a Cercetarii, Dezvoltarii si Inovarii, Universitatea din București, National Institutes of Health
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 35%
Ion Channels and Receptors
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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Cold- and TRPM8-dependent shaking in mammals and birds — Ramona-Andreea Bivoleanu, Violeta-Maria Caragea, et al. · Communications Biology (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS