Patent ID: 7122321

Claim:
A method for determining at least one previously unidentified biological function of a target protein comprising: (a) screening a multiplicity of different molecules for their ability to modify the stability of a target protein, wherein modification of the stability of said target protein by a molecule indicates that the molecule binds to said target protein; wherein said screening step (a) comprises: (a1) contacting said target protein with one or more of said multiplicity of different molecules in each of a multiplicity of containers; (a2) treating said target protein in each of said multiplicity of containers to cause said target protein to unfold; (a3) measuring in each of said containers a physical change associated with the unfolding of said target protein; (a4) generating an unfolding curve for said target protein for each of said containers; and (a5) comparing each of said unfolding curves in step (a4) to (1) each of said other unfolding curves and to (2) the unfolding curve obtained for said target protein in the absence of any of said multiplicity of different molecules; and (a6) determining whether any of said multiplicity of different molecules modifies the stability of said target protein, wherein a modification in stability is indicated by a change in said unfolding curve (b) generating, from step (a), a first list of molecules that modify the stability of said target protein: (c) comparing said first list from step (b) to at least one second list of molecules, wherein said second list of molecules are known to modify the stability of a group of proteins which share biological function; and (d) determining if any molecule in said first list from step (b) is included in said second list from step (c), thereby determining at least one previously unidentified biological function of said target protein.