Patent ID: 6641997
Filing Date: 2003-11-04
Classification: C07K,G01N

Abstract:
A method of screening for compounds which selectively bind to a potassium ion channel protein comprising:(a) complexing a functional two-transmembrane-domain-type potassium ion channel protein to a solid support; (b) contacting the complexed protein/solid support with an aqueous solution said solution containing a compound that is being screened for the ability to selectively bind to the ion channel protein; (c) determining whether the compound selectively binds to the ion channel protein with the provisoes that the potassium ion channel protein is in the form of a tetrameric protein; and, when the protein is mutated to correspond to the agitoxin2 docking site of a Shaker K+ channel protein by substituting amino acid residues permitting the mutated protein to bind agitoxin 2, the protein will bind agitoxin 2 while bound to the solid support, said substituting of residues being within the 36 amino acid domain defined by âˆ’25 to +5 of the Shaker K+ selectivity filter (SEQ ID No. 4) where the 0 residue is either the phenylalanine or the tyrosine of the filter's signature sequence selected from the group consisting of glycine-phenylalanine-glycine or glycine-tyrosine-glycine.