Inhibition of TRPV1 by an antagonist in clinical trials is dependent on cholesterol binding.

TRP Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel, one of the major members of the TRP family was discovered to play a critical role in pain sensation, particularly inflammatory pain, and is associated with hyperalgesia, an enhanced sensitivity to pain. A new study by Fanet al."Structural basis of TRPV1 inhibition by SAF312 and cholesterol" sheds new light on the mechanistic structural basis of TRPV1 inhibition by SAF312 (Libvatrep), a TRPV1 antagonist, currently in phase II clinical trials.

Membrane lipid modulations by methyl-β-cyclodextrin uncouple the Drosophila light-activated phospholipase C from TRP and TRPL channel gating.

Sterols are hydrophobic molecules, known to cluster signaling membrane-proteins in lipid rafts, while methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) has been a major tool for modulating membrane-sterol content for studying its effect on membrane proteins, including the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. The Drosophila light-sensitive TRP channels are activated downstream of a G-protein-coupled phospholipase Cβ (PLC) cascade. In phototransduction, PLC is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) generating diacylglycerol, inositol-tris-phosphate, and protons, leading to TRP and TRP-like (TRPL) channel openings.

Proteome-wide quantitative analysis of redox cysteine availability in the Drosophila melanogaster eye reveals oxidation of phototransduction machinery during blue light exposure and age.

The retina is one of the highest oxygen-consuming tissues because visual transduction and light signaling processes require large amounts of ATP. Thus, because of the high energy demand, oxygen-rich environment, and tissue transparency, the eye is susceptible to excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in oxidative stress. Oxidative stress in the eye is associated with the development and progression of ocular diseases including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.