Patent ID: 7364867

Claim:
A method for identifying a compound that potentially induces the perception of a bitter taste comprising: (i) contacting an isolated cell expressing the TRP8 channel protein of SEQ ID NO: 4 with a test compound and measuring the level of TRP8 activation; (ii) in a separate experiment, contacting an isolated cell expressing the TRP8 channel protein of SEQ ID NO: 4 with a vehicle control 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 the level of TRP8 activation is measured by measuring the membrane potential of the cell and wherein an increased level of activated TRP8 in the presence of the test compound indicates that the test compound potentially induces the perception of a bitter taste.