Patent ID: 7427489

Claim:
A method of identifying an agent that can modulate the sleep/wake cycle in a subject, the method comprising: contacting a test system comprising a BK channel and a cognate BK channel binding protein with an agent suspected of having the ability to modulate the sleep/wake cycle in the subject, wherein the BK channel comprises a Drosophila slowpoke (slo) polypeptide, or an ortholog thereof, wherein the ortholog is human slo, murine slo, rat slo, or rabbit slo; detecting a change in: i) conformation of the BK channel or protein-protein interaction between the BK channel and the BK channel binding protein, and ii) intracellular ions induced by the agent as compared to the same measurements taken in the absence of the agent, thereby identifying an agent that modulates BK channel activity; administering the agent that modulates BK channel activity to a test subject; and thereafter detecting a change in the sleep/wake cycle of the test subject, thereby identifying an agent that can modulate the sleep/wake cycle in a subject.