Patent ID: 6911314

Claim:
A method of screening a substance for an ability to affect TNF receptor releasing activity, comprising: a) incubating TNF receptor or cells expressing TNF receptor with the substance and with an isolated polypeptide that causes TNF receptor to be cleaved in the absence of the substance; b) measuring any TNF receptor cleaved; and c) correlating any increase or decrease of the receptor cleaved by the polypeptide with an ability of the substance to enhance or diminish TNF receptor releasing activity; wherein the polypeptide has at least one of the following properties: i) it comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ. ID NOs: 151, 153, and 154; ii) it comprises a fragment of any one of SEQ. ID NOs: 151, 153, or 154 that causes increased release of TNF receptor from human cells in which TNF receptor is expressed; iii) it comprises an amino acid sequence encoded in any one of SEQ. ID NOs: 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10; or iv) it comprises an amino acid sequence that causes increased release of TNF receptor from human cells in which TNF receptor is expressed, and is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes-at 30° C. in 6×SSC containing 50% formamide to a polynucleotide having a sequence selected from SEQ. ID NOs : 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.