Patent ID: 8148056

Claim:
A method of identifying a test compound that binds to a GPR81 receptor, comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a receptor component with a test compound and with a reference compound, wherein said receptor component comprises a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that is at least 80% homologous to human GPR81 of SEQ ID NO:32 and binds L-lactate, and said reference compound is L-lactate, D-lactate, α-hydroxybutyrate, γ-hydroxybutyrate, hydroxyisobutyrate, glycolic acid, monochloroacetate, dichloroacetate, trifluoroacetate, chlorodifluoroacetate, 2-chloropropinoic acid, or 2-chioropropionic acid, or a salt thereof; (b) determining the amount of said reference compound that binds to said receptor component; and (c) comparing the amount determined in step (b) with a control measurement wherein said receptor component has been contacted with said reference compound in the absence of said test compound wherein an decrease in the amount of said reference compound that binds to said receptor component in the presence of said test compound compared with the amount of said reference compound that binds to said receptor component in the absence of said test compound indicates that the test compound binds to the GPCR81 receptor.