Patent ID: 7955808

Claim:
A process for identifying a compound that binds to a polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: (a) a polynucleotide encoding at least a mature form of a polypeptide having the deduced amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 11; (b) a polynucleotide having a coding sequence, as shown in SEQ ID NO: 12 encoding at least a mature form of the polypeptide having the deduced amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:11; and (c) a polynucleotide encoding a derivative of a polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide of any one of (a) to (b), wherein in said derivative one to twenty amino acid residues are conservatively substituted compared to said polypeptide, and said derivative has bitter substance binding activity when contacted with an agonist selected from the group consisting of saccharin and acesulfame K wherein said process comprises the steps of: (1) contacting said polypeptide or a host cell genetically engineered with said polynucleotide or with a vector containing said polynucleotide with an agonist of bitter taste receptor activity selected from the group consisting of saccharin and acesulfame K; (2) detecting the presence of the compound which binds to said polypeptide; and (3) determining whether the compound binds said polypeptide.