Patent ID: 7396651

Claim:
An in vitro method for identifying a compound that putatively elicits or modulates taste in a human subject based on its effect on the activation of a taste receptor comprising a human T2R polypeptide comprising: (i) screening one or more compounds in a functional assay that detects compounds which activate or modulate (enhance or inhibit) the activation of a taste receptor comprising a human T2R polypeptide having the amino acid sequence in SEQ. ID. NO:2; or (b) a T2R polypeptide that possesses at least 95% sequence identity to the human T2R polypeptide of SEQ. ID. NO: 2 and which T2R polypeptide is specifically activated or the activation of said T2R polypeptide is modulated by a bitter ligand that modulates the activation of the human T2R polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:2 (ii) identifying compounds (i) that putatively elicit or modulate T2R polypeptide-associated taste subject based on their (a) activation or modulation (inhibition or enhancement) of the activation of said T2R polypeptide according to (a), or (b), in said functional assay (i).