Assays for taste receptor cell specific ion channel
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsCharles S. Zuker, Yifeng Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention includes nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of a taste cell-specific ion channel subunit that is specifically expressed in taste cells, antibodies to such subunits, methods of detecting such nucleic acids and proteins, and methods of screening for modulators of taste cell specific ion channel subunits.
Claims15
A method for identifying a compound that modulates taste signaling in taste cells, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) contacting the compound with a eukaryotic host cell or cell membrane which expresses a taste cell-specific ion channel subunit:
- (a) having greater than about 70% amino acid sequence identity to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- and
- (b) specifically binding to polyclonal antibodies that specifically bind to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- and
- (ii) determining a functional effect of the compound upon a transmembrane ion flux of a predetermined ion, thereby identifying a compound that modulates taste signaling in taste cells.
A method for identifying a compound that binds to a taste cell-specific ion channel subunit, said method comprising:
- (i) contacting control cells that do not express a taste cell-specific ion channel subunit with a test compound;
- (ii) contacting test cells with said test compound, wherein said test cells are transformed with and express a nucleic acid encoding a taste cell-specific ion channel subunit
- (a) having greater than about 70% amino acid sequence identity to to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- and
- (b) specifically binding to polyclonal antibodies that specifically bind to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- and;
- (iii) identifying test compounds that bind to said taste cell-specific ion channel subunit by comparing the amount of said test compound that binds to said test cells to the amount of said test compound that binds to said control cells.
A method of modulating taste signaling in taste cells of an individual, comprising
- administering to an individual a pharmacologically effective amount of a composition that modulates taste signalling by an ion channel subunit
- (a) having greater than about 70% amino acid sequence identity to to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- and
- (b) specifically binding to polyclonal antibodies that specifically bind to a polypeptide having a sequence selected from the group that consists of SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 5, and SEQ ID NO:
- 8;
- thereby modulating taste signalling in taste cells of said individual.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.