Patent ID: 7611848

Claim:
A method for identifying and selecting a compound that acts as a positive allosteric regulator of a class III G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR-III) selected from the group consisting of: glutamate-activated receptors; GABA-activated receptors; putative pheromone receptors; and taste receptors, said method comprising at least the following steps: a) producing a recombinant GPCR-III (GPCR-III-Δ) essentially depleted of the extracellular domain of the corresponding native GPCR-III; b) bringing said compound into contact with said GPCR-III-Δ in the absence of an agonist of said GPRC-III; c) measuring the level N 1 of activity of said GPCR-III-Δ in the presence of said compound; d) comparing the level N 1 measured in step c) with the level N 0 of activity of the GPCR-III-Δ in the absence of said compound; and e) if N 1 is significantly different from N 0 , identifying and selecting said positive allosteric regulator, where said positive allosteric regulator has no effect on the GPCR-III, if GPCR-III is not simultaneously activated by an agonist of GPCR-III, but behaves like an agonist or an inverse agonist of said GPCR-III-Δ.