Assays and enhancers of the human delta enac sodium channel
AssigneeSenomyx, Inc.
InventorsBryan MOYER, Min LU, Fernando ECHEVERRI, Hong CHANG
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Abstract
This invention relates to electrophysiological assays that measure sodium conductance activity of a delta human epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in the presence and absence of delta hENaC enhancers. Also, the invention generally relates to assays for identifying compounds that enhance the activity of delta hENaC, especially in an oocyte expression system. These compounds have potential application in modulating (enhancing) salty taste perception.
Claims20
1-29. (canceled)
A method for identifying compounds having potential in vivo application for modulating taste comprising:
- (i) contacting a cell that expresses a nucleic acid encoding a human epithelial sodium channel (“hENaC”) channel comprising a delta subunit polypeptide possessing at least 90% sequence identity to the polypeptide identical to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:
- 10 with one or more putative hENaC enhancer compounds;
- (ii) conducting an electrophysiological assay which detects sodium conductance in the presence and absence of said one or more putative hENaC enhancer compounds;
- (iii) based on the results of step (ii) identifying the compound as putatively modulating human taste if the compound increases sodium conductance;
- and
- (iv) assaying the effect(s) of one or more compounds or derivatives thereof which are identified in step (iii) to increase sodium conductance in a taste test.
The method of claim 32, wherein the taste test determines the effect if any of the compound or a derivative thereof on salty taste perception.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.