Patent ID: 7314716

Claim:
A method for identifying an agent which stimulates or inhibits taste comprising the steps of a) incubating gustducin γ with a G protein β subunit and phospholipase C, wherein the gustducin γ is selected from the group of (i) a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 7, or SEQ ID NO: 9, (ii) a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6, or SEQ ID NO: 8, and (iii) a polypeptide that is capable of activating phospholipase C in the presence of an agent which stimulates or inhibits taste and a G protein β subunit and that has at least 90% identity to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 7; b) adding an agent; and c) measuring inositol triphosphate generation in the presence of the agent in comparison to in the absence of the agent, wherein an increase in inositol triphosphate generation in the presence of the agent indicates the agent is a taste stimulator and a decrease in inositol triphosphate generation in the presence of the agent indicates that the agent is a taste inhibitor.