Patent ID: 6951725

Claim:
A method for determining whether a protein interacts with a target compound in vitro, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a DNA-protein fusion molecule comprising (i) a double-stranded DNA having a core promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence, and (ii) a protein covalently attached to said DNA; (b) providing a target compound fusion molecule comprising a target compound covalently attached to a transcription activation domain; (c) contacting said DNA-protein fusion molecule with said target compound fusion molecule in an in vitro transcription system under conditions that allow said target compound fusion molecule to interact with the protein of said DNA-protein fusion molecule, wherein an interaction recruits RLNA polymerase and triggers transcription of said nucleic acid sequence; and (d) detecting increased transcription of said nucleic acid sequence, or a portion thereof, in the presence of said target compound fusion molecule as an indication that the protein of said DNA-protein fusion interacts with the target compound of said target compound fusion molecule.