Patent ID: 7223551

Claim:
A method for identifying a compound that putatively modulates or elicits sweet taste in a human subject comprising: (i) screening one or more compounds in a binding assay comprising contacting said one or more compounds with a human T1R3 polypeptide, wherein said T1R3 polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of: (a) a human T1R3 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4; (b) a human T1R3 polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that specifically hybridizes to the hT1R3 nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 2, 3 or 20 under stringent hybridizations which are: conducting hybridization at 42 degrees C. in a solution comprising 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS, and washing at 65 degrees C. in a solution containing 0.2×SSC and 0.1% SDS, and which human T1R3 polypeptide specifically binds to a sweet ligand; and (c) a human T1R3 polypeptide which has at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4; (ii) whereby a compound that putatively modulates or elicits sweet taste is identified by its specific binding to a human T1R3 polypeptide according to (a), (b), (c) or its inhibition or enhancement of the specific binding of another compound to a T1R3 polypeptide according to (a), (b) or (c).