Patent ID: 8173373
Filing Date: 2012-05-08
Classification: A01K,A61P,C07K,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of screening for a compound that modulates umami taste signaling in taste cells, the method comprising the steps of: (i) contacting the compound with a hetero-oligomeric taste transduction G-protein coupled receptor that responds to umami taste stimuli; wherein said hetero-oligomeric receptor comprises a first polypeptide which contains a region encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that specifically hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to a human T1R1 nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 and has at least 90% sequence identity to all of the extracellular or transmembrane domains of the human T1R1 of SEQ ID NO: 5, and further comprises a second polypeptide which contains a region encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that specifically hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to the human T1R3 nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9 and has at least 90% sequence identity to all of the extracellular or transmembrane domains of the human T1R3 of SEQ ID NO: 7; wherein stringent hybridization conditions comprise conducting the hybridization reaction at 42 degrees C. in a solution comprising 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS and washing at 65 degrees C. in a solution comprising 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS; and (ii) determining whether said compound binds to and/or affects the activity of said hetero-oligomeric umami receptor, and thereby modulates umami taste signaling in taste cells.