Patent ID: 8759015

Claim:
A method of screening for a compound that putatively blocks or activates umami taste signaling, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting cells comprising isolated or cultured mammalian cells with one or more compounds, wherein said cells express a heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor; and (b) detecting whether said one or more compounds specifically bind to said heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor and/or specifically activate said heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor and, based thereon, identifying said one or more compounds as compounds that putatively block or activate umami taste signaling, wherein (1) said heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor expressed by said cells specifically binds to a ligand that specifically binds to an endogenous (wild-type) human heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 receptor comprised of at least one endogenous T1R1 polypeptide and at least one endogenous T1R3 polypeptide; and (2) said heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor expressed by said cells comprises at least one T1R1 polypeptide that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence comprising a nucleic acid that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO:8 under stringent hybridization conditions which are conducting the hybridization reaction at 42° C. in a solution comprising 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS and washing at 65° C. in a solution comprising 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS; and (3) said heteromeric T1R1/T1R3 taste receptor expressed by said cells comprises at least one T1R3 polypeptide that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO:9 under stringent hybridization conditions which are conducting the hybridization reaction at 42° C. in a solution comprising 50% formamide, 5×SSC, 1% SDS; and washing at 65° C. in a solution comprising 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS; and (4) at least one of said expressed T1R1 polypeptide or said expressed T1R3 polypeptide is expressed from a gene that is endogenous to said cells.