Patent ID: 7537902

Claim:
A method of identifying an agent affecting a binding between an LMP protein and a Smurf1 protein comprising: providing a first composition comprising: a first amino acid sequence comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41; a second amino acid sequence comprising an amino acid sequence at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 2 and capable of binding the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41; and the agent; and measuring an amount of a complex formed between the first amino acid sequence and the second amino acid sequence in the first composition; and comparing the amount of the complex in the first composition with an amount of a complex formed between a third amino acid sequence and a fourth amino acid sequence in a second composition, wherein: said second composition does not include the agent; the third amino acid sequence comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41: and the fourth amino acid sequence comprises an amino acid sequence at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 2 and capable of binding the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41, and wherein further each of said second and said fourth amino acid sequences comprises: leucine at a position corresponding to position 3 of SEQ ID NO: 2; proline at a position corresponding to position 4 of SEQ ID NO: 2; tryptophan at a position corresponding to position 7 of SEQ ID NO: 2; glutamic acid at a position corresponding to position 8 of SEQ ID NO: 2; arginine, lysine or alanine at a position corresponding to position 10 of SEQ ID NO: 2; tyrosine, phenylalanine or isoleucine at a position corresponding to position 18 of SEQ ID NO: 2; phenylalanine or isoleucine at a position corresponding to position 19 of SEQ ID NO: 2; valine or isoleucine at a position corresponding to position 20 of SEQ ID NO: 2; asparagine or aspartic acid at a position corresponding to position 21 of SEQ ID NO: 2; histidine at a position corresponding to position 22 of SEQ ID NO: 2; asparagine, valine, proline or serine at a position corresponding to position 23 of SEQ ID NO:2; arginine or lysine at a position corresponding to position 25 of SEQ ID NO: 2; serine or threonine at a position corresponding to position 27 of SEQ ID NO: 2; glutamine at a position corresponding to position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 2; aspartic acid at a position corresponding to position 31 of SEQ ID NO: 2; proline at a position corresponding to position 32 of SEQ ID NO: 2; and arginine at a position corresponding to position 33 of SEQ ID NO: 2.