The polymodal chemo- and mechanosensory function of TRPA1, TRPM5, TRPV1 and TRPV4 is of particular pathophysiological relevance, but there are several other aspects of GI function that are under the critical control of TRP channels, such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ absorption, transduction of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor activation to smooth muscle contraction, and cancer development (Fig. 2). This evidence concerns the gene TRPA1 and cancer.