Patent ID: 8298777

Claim:
A method for screening a candidate compound for its ability to interact with at least one transmembrane protein comprising: contacting a eukaryotic cell with a candidate compound, wherein the eukaryotic cell comprises at least one nucleotide sequence encoding a protein comprising a transmembrane protein containing at least one nuclear localisation sequence (NLS) and a detectable moiety and the encoded protein is expressed in the cell; and determining the distribution of the expressed protein in the eukaryotic cell by detecting the distribution of the detectable moiety in the cell; wherein detection of an altered distribution of the detectable moiety in the cell relative to the distribution of the detectable moiety in a control cell not contacted with the candidate compound indicates that the compound interacts with the transmembrane protein, wherein the wild-type transmembrane protein lacks an NLS and the nucleotide sequence encoding the transmembrane protein is modified to encode an NLS.