Patent ID: 7262280

Claim:
A G-protein fusion receptor comprising: a) an extracellular domain comprising an extracellular domain amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 4, and SEQ ID NO: 5, wherein said extracellular domain is capable of binding a native CaR, mGluR, or GABA B R ligand; b) a transmembrane domain joined to the carboxy terminus of said extracellular domain, said transmembrane domain comprising a transmembrane domain amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, and SEQ ID NO: 10; c) an intracellular domain joined to the carboxy terminus of said transmembrane domain, said intracellular domain comprising all or a portion of an intracellular amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, SEQ ID NO: 13, SEQ ID NO: 14, and SEQ ID NO: 15, provided that said portion is at least 10 amino acids in length; d) an optionally present linker joined to the carboxy terminus of said intracellular domain; and e) a G-protein joined either to said intracellular domain or to said optionally present linker, provided that said G-protein is joined to said optionally present linker when said optionally present linker is present, wherein said G-protein interconverts between a GDP-bound and a GTP-bound form, wherein said domains are functionally coupled such that a signal from the binding of a ligand is transduced to the intracellular domain when said G-protein fusion receptor is present in a suitable host cell, and wherein said intracellular domain when present in a wild type receptor does not interact with said G-protein.