Patent ID: 9423404
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: C07K,G01N

Claim Text:
1. A method of screening for an antagonist agent that enhances human brown or beige fat adipogenesis mediated by unliganded vitamin D receptor (VDR) activity, the method comprising: combining a candidate agent with a vitamin D receptor present in an intact human cell capable of adipogenesis and selected from a pre-adipocyte, an adipocyte progenitor, an adipocyte stem cell and a fibroblast; and determining inhibition of unliganded VDR activity by differentiation of cells under adipogenic conditions to brown, beige or white adipocyte phenotypes in the absence or presence of a candidate agent; wherein brown or beige fat adipogenesis is enhanced by interfering with unliganded VDR repression of UCP1 expression.