Patent ID: 8663934

Claim:
A method of identifying a compound suitable for enhancing bone fracture repair comprising: (a) contacting a 24-hydroxylated vitamin D compound receptor with a candidate compound wherein said 24-hydroxylated vitamin D compound receptor comprises either the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or said sequence comprising conservative amino acid substitutions thereof, (b) determining whether the candidate compound binds to the 24-hydroxylated vitamin D compound receptor, wherein binding is detected by an assay selected from the group consisting of: i) a receptor competition assay, wherein said receptor is contacted with said candidate compound, wherein said candidate compound is labeled in the presence of an excess of unlabeled 24,25(OH) 2 -vitamin D 3 , and binding of said labeled candidate compound in the presence of excess unlabeled 24,25(OH) 2 -vitamin D 3 indicates said compound is capable of binding to said receptor, ii) an assay that measures changes in the impedance of a cell layer that occur in response to said receptor binding to said candidate compound; iii) an assay that measures the activation of a member of the ATF family of transcription factors; and iv) an assay that measures the activation of protein kinase A, (c) administering a candidate compound that binds to the 24-hydroxylated vitamin D compound receptor identified in step (b) to an animal; and (d) determining whether the animal exhibits enhanced bone fracture repair, as compared with an animal to which the candidate compound has not been administered; thereby identifying a compound for enhancing bone fracture repair.