Patent ID: 7534577

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 T1R2 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 T1R2 polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: (a) a human T1R2 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence in SEQ. ID. NO: 21; (b) a human T1R2 polypeptide that possesses at least 90% sequence identity to the polypeptide in SEQ. ID. NO: 21; (c) a human T1R2 polypeptide which encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the T1R2 polypeptide coding region of the nucleic acid sequence in SEQ. ID. NO: 23 under stringent hybridization conditions which are incubation in 50% formamide, 5X SSC and 0.1% SDS, with wash in 0.2X SSC and 0.1% SDS at 65 degrees C and which taste receptor comprising said human T1R2 polypeptide specifically binds to a ligand that also specifically binds to the human T1R2 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:21; (ii) identifying compounds (i) that putatively elicit or modulate T1R2 polypeptide-associated taste subject based on their (a) activation or modulation (inhibition or enhancement) of the activation of said T1R2 polypeptide according to (a), (b), or (c), in said functional assay (i).