TRPA1, also named as ANKTM1, belongs to the transient receptor family. TRPA1 is a receptor-activated non-selective cation channel involved in detection of pain and possibly also in cold perception and inner ear function. TRPA1 has a central role in the pain response to endogenous inflammatory mediators and to a diverse array of volatile irritants, such as mustard oil, garlic and acrolein, an irritant from tears gas and vehicule exhaust fumes. It acts also as a ionotropic cannabinoid receptor by being activated by delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana. It may be a component for the mechanosensitive transduction channel of hair cells in inner ear, thereby participating in the perception of sounds.