Identification of compounds producing non-visual photosensation via TRPA1 in zebrafish

TrpA1 receptors sense chemical irritants. But, they do not normally respond to light. Previous studies have identified compounds that confer photosensitivity onto vertebrate TrpA1. However, the pharmacology of TrpA1-mediated non-visual photosensation remains poorly understood. To identify novel compounds that affect this process, we screened a large chemical library for compounds that increased light-elicited motor activity in larval zebrafish. We found structurally diverse hit compounds that were photoreactive and produced specific behavioral phenotypes. A subset of these compounds required functional TrpA1 to produce behavioral phenotypes in vivo. These findings provide novel prototype compounds for controlling TrpA1 with light and improve our understanding of non-visual TrpA1-mediated photosensation.