Patent ID: 8623606

Claim:
A method of identifying a compound capable of forming a weak bond with a target domain of a G-protein coupled receptor comprising the steps of: (a) providing a receptor comprising said target domain and a first group linked to said target domain, wherein said target domain comprises the transmembrane or juxtamembrane domain of said G-protein coupled receptor, and wherein said first group comprises: (i) the N-terminal domain of said G-protein coupled receptor; (ii) the N-terminal domain of a different G-protein coupled receptor fragment or analog thereof; or (iii) avidin or biotin; a metal ion or chelator; a strep-tag or strep-tactin; glutathion or GST; tetracystein or diarsen; (b) bringing into contact said receptor of (a) with a test molecule comprising a second group and said compound linked to each other, wherein said first group binds said second group, wherein said second group comprises a component selected from the group consisting of (i) the C-terminal part of a natural cognate ligand of said G-protein coupled receptor defined in (a) (i) or (ii) capable of binding said N-terminal domain defined in (a) (i) or (ii); and (ii) biotin or avidin; a metal ion or chelator; a strep-tag or strep-tactin; glutathion or GST; tetracystein or diarsen; and (c) determining, subsequent to the binding of said first group to said second group, whether said compound forms a weak bond to said target domain, and wherein said compound is a peptide, peptidomimetic or small organic molecule, thereby identifying a compound capable of forming a weak bond with a target domain of a G-protein coupled receptor.