Patent ID: 8153410

Claim:
A method of identifying a compound that inhibits formation of an active form of a multimeric protein from a less active form of the multimeric protein by binding at a site other than an active site and/or an allosteric metal ion binding site of the multimeric protein comprising an assembly having a plurality of units, wherein each of said units comprises a first complementary surface and a second complementary surface and wherein the first complementary surface of one unit is associated with the second complementary surface of another unit, provided that the assembly is at least one of different quaternary isoforms, the method comprising: a) providing a multimeric protein with a biochemical function; (b) identifying a compound that binds to the multimeric protein; and (c) testing for the ability of the compound to affect the biochemical function in at least one assembly of the multimeric protein, wherein when a compound inhibits formation of the active form of the multimeric protein from the less active form of the multimeric protein by binding at a site other than an active site and/or metal ion binding site of the multimeric protein, the compound is identified as an inhibitor, further wherein said multimeric protein is selected from the group consisting of porphobilinogen synthase, a Class Ia ribonucleotide reductase, Pseudomonas aeruginosa GDP-Mannose dehydrogenase, Bacillus subtilis HPr, mammalian CoA transferase, purine nucleoside phosphorylase, and peroxiredoxins.