Patent ID: 7435552

Claim:
A method for identifying a compound that putatively modulates a taste receptor polypeptide comprising a human T1R2 polypeptide in a human subject comprising: (1) screening one or more compounds in a binding assay which identifies compounds that specifically bind to a human T1R2 polypeptide or which modulate (inhibit or enhance) the specific binding of another compound that specifically binds to said human T1R2 polypeptide wherein said T1R2 polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of: (a) a human T1R2 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence in SEQ. ID. SEQ. NO: 21; (b) a T1R2 polypeptide that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that specifically hybridizes to the hT1R2 nucleic acid sequence in SEQ. ID. NO: 23, under stringent hybridization conditions, which are 50% formamide, 5×SSC and 1% SDS, incubating at 42 degrees C. and wash in 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS at 65 degrees C. and which T1R2 polypeptide specifically binds to a taste ligand that specifically binds to the T1R1 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:21 and with the further proviso that said T1R2 polypeptide is specifically bound by a sweet ligand that specifically binds the human T1R2 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:21; and; (c) a T1R2 polypeptide which has an amino acid sequence that possesses at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence in SEQ. ID. NO: 21; (2) identifying a compound that putatively modulates or elicits human T1R2-associated taste based on its specific binding to a human T1R2 polypeptide according to (a), (b), or (c), or its modulation (inhibition or enhancement) of the specific binding of another compound to a T1R2 polypeptide according to (a), (b), or (c).