Methods and compositions for the identification of insect repellent compounds

摘要

Methods for identifying a candidate compound with an ability to modulate cation transport through a transient receptor potential (TRP) channel in a cell are disclosed. The methods can include (a) providing a cell expressing a recombinant nucleic acid sequence encoding an transient receptor potential (TRP) channel gene product or a functional fragment or derivative thereof; (b) contacting the cell with the candidate compound; (c) comparing cation transport in the cell in the absence of the candidate compound with cation transport in the cell in the presence of the candidate compound; and (d) identifying a candidate compound through the comparing step that modulates cation transport in the cell through the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel. Also disclosed are nucleic acid and amino acid sequences for insect TRP channel gene products, antibodies that bind to the disclosed TRP channels, and recombinant host cells the include the disclosed biosequences.