Patent ID: 9170254
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. An assay for identifying a compound which modulates a human T2R bitter taste receptor polypeptide wherein said polypeptide specifically responds to caffeine, which assay comprises: i. screening a compound for its effect on caffeine to induce the activation of (1) said bitter taste receptor polypeptide which is a polypeptide that possesses at least 90% sequence identity to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:36 (2) or is a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence contained in SEQ ID NO: 37, and/or (3) is a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the complement of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID:35 under stringent hybridization conditions, which possesses at least 90% sequence identity to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:36 and ii. determining whether said compound modulates bitter taste based on its effect on the activation of said polypeptide by caffeine; and iii. identifying said compound as a potential bitter taste modulator if it modulates the activation of said polypeptide by caffeine.