Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

MEMBRANE PROTEINS

There is a lock for every key

Chemoproteomics-enabled identification of the targets of a hydroxylated cholesterol metabolite, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol, reveals it to be the first reported endogenous ligand of the sigma-2 receptor, a drug target for neurodegeneration and neuropathic pain.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: A chemoproteomics screen using a photocrosslinkable and clickable oxysterol probe revealed that 20(S)-OHC is an endogenous ligand of the σ2 receptor (TMEM97).

References

  1. Luu, W., Sharpe, L. J., Capell-Hattam, I., Gelissen, I. C. & Brown, A. J. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 56, 447–467 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Radhakrishnan, A., Ikeda, Y., Kwon, H. J., Brown, M. S. & Goldstein, J. L. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 6511–6518 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chen, W., Chen, G., Head, D. L., Mangelsdorf, D. J. & Russell, D. W. Cell Metab. 5, 73–79 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nachtergaele, S. et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 8, 211–220 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cheng, Y.-S. et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 17, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00907-2 (2021).

  6. Matsumoto, R. R., Bowen, W. D. & Su, T. P. Sigma Receptors (Springer, 2007).

  7. Alon, A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 7160–7165 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Alon, A. et al. Preprint at https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.04.29.441652 (2021).

  9. Bartz, F. et al. Cell Metab. 10, 63–75 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Jumper, J. et al. Nature 596, 583–589 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeremy M. Baskin.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yu, W., Baskin, J.M. There is a lock for every key. Nat Chem Biol 17, 1214–1216 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00908-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00908-1

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research