Patent ID: 7371537

Claim:
A method of screening for an agent that modulates B-lymphocyte activation, comprising: a) combining a candidate bioactive agent and a myosin-1F protein, wherein the sequence of said myosin-1F protein is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:2, and wherein the myosin-1F protein has an activity selected from the group consisting of an ATPase activity, an actin polymerization activity, and a binding activity selected from the group consisting of WASP binding activity, BLNK binding activity, WASP-IP binding activity, Bee1p binding activity, Vrp1p binding activity, calmodulin binding activity, Arp2/3 complex binding activity, Acan125 binding activity, and actin binding activity; b) measuring the selected activity of said myosin-1F protein in the presence of said candidate bioactive agent; c) contacting said candidate bioactive agent to a B-lymphocyte; d) inducing activation of said B-lymphocyte; and e) determining the activation of said B-lymphocyte in the presence of said candidate bioactive agent; wherein a decrease in the activity of said myosin-1F protein in the presence of said candidate bioactive agent, as compared with the activity of said myosin-1F protein in the absence of said candidate bioactive agent, indicates that said candidate bioactive agent modulates the level of myosin-1F activity, and wherein a decrease in the activation of said B-lymphocyte in the presence of said candidate bioactive agent as compared with activation of said B-lymphocyte in the absence of said candidate bioactive agent indicate that said candidate bioactive agent modulates B-lymphocyte activation.