Patent ID: 7960127

Claim:
A method for identifying a compound that inhibits the perception of a bitter taste and/or promotes the perception of a sweet taste comprising: (i) contacting a cell expressing a TRP8 channel protein with a test compound and a compound or molecular complex that results in TRP8 activation, and measuring the level of TRP8 activation; (ii) in a separate experiment, contacting a cell expressing the TRP8 channel protein with a compound or molecular complex that results in TRP8 activation and measuring the level of TRP8 activation, where the conditions are essentially the same as in part (i); and (iii) comparing the level of activation of TRP8 measured in part (i) with the level of activation of TRP8 in part (ii), wherein a decreased level of activation of TRP8 in the presence of the test compound indicates that the test compound inhibits the perception of a bitter taste and/or promotes the perception of a sweet taste; and wherein the TRP8 channel protein is selected from the group consisting of (1) the TRP8 channel protein of SEQ ID NO:4; (2) a TRP8 channel protein encoded by a nucleic acid that (a) hybridizes to the complement of a nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 under stringent conditions, which comprise hybridization to filter-bound DNA in 0.5 M NaHPO 4 , 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mM EDTA at 65° C., and washing in 0.1×SSC/0.1% SDS at 68° C., and (b) encodes a functionally equivalent gene product; and (3) a TRP8 channel protein encoded by a nucleic acid that (a) hybridizes to the complement of a nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 under moderately stringent conditions, which comprise washing in 0.2×SSC/0.1% SDS at 42° C., and (b) encodes a functionally equivalent gene product.