Structure-activity relationship of adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose at the transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel: rational design of antagonists.

Adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (ADPR) activates TRPM2, a Ca(2+), Na(+), and K(+) permeable cation channel. Activation is induced by ADPR binding to the cytosolic C-terminal NudT9-homology domain. To generate the first structure-activity relationship, systematically modified ADPR analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as antagonists using patch-clamp experiments in HEK293 cells overexpressing human TRPM2.

Chemical genetics suggests a critical role for lysyl oxidase in zebrafish notochord morphogenesis.

As a result of a chemical genetic screen for modulators of metalloprotease activity, we report that 2-mercaptopyridine-N-oxide induces a conspicuous undulating notochord defect in zebrafish embryos, a phenocopy of the leviathan mutant. The location of the chemically-induced wavy notochord correlated with the timing of application, thus defining a narrow chemical sensitivity window during segmentation stages. Microscopic observations revealed that notochord undulations appeared during the phase of notochord cell vacuolation and notochord elongation.