Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hinman A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1748265 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Hinman Andrew A Chuang Huai-Hu HH Bautista Diana M DM Julius David D
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20061212 51
Allyl isothiocyanate, the pungent principle of wasabi and other mustard oils, produces pain by activating TRPA1, an excitatory ion channel on sensory nerve endings. Isothiocyanates are membrane-permeable electrophiles that form adducts with thiols and primary amines, suggesting that covalent modification, rather than classical lock-and-key binding, accounts for their agonist properties. Indeed, we show that thiol reactive compounds of diverse structure activate TRPA1 in a manner that relies on c ...[more]