Patent ID: 6051386
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: C07K,C12N,G01N

Abstract:
A method for identifying a chemical that acts as an agonist for an exogenous cell surface receptor coupled to a second-messenger selected from the group consisting of phospholipase C, protein kinase C and diacylglycerol comprising:introducing to test cells of a pigment cell line capable of dispersing or aggregating their pigment in response to a specific stimulus and expressing an exogenous clone coding for the exogenous cell surface receptor, a stimulant that sets an initial state of pigment disposition wherein the pigment is aggregated within the test cells if activation of the exogenous cell surface receptor induces pigment dispersion, or introducing a stimulant that sets an initial state of pigment disposition wherein the pigment is dispersed within the test cells if activation of the exogenous cell surface receptor induces pigment aggregation; contacting the test cells set in an initial state of pigment disposition with the test chemical; and determining whether the pigment disposition in the test cells treated with the chemical is changed from the initial state of pigment disposition, wherein a change in pigment disposition observed in the test cells expressing the exogenous cell surface receptor indicates that the chemical is an agonist for the exogenous cell surface receptor.