Patent ID: 8142762

Claim:
A method of identifying a candidate compound that stimulates hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived biologically active peptide secretion, said method comprising: (a) contacting the candidate compound with a recombinant host cell or a membrane thereof that comprises a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), wherein said receptor comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (i) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2; (ii) the amino acid sequence of a GPCR encoded by a polynucleotide that is amplifiable by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on a human genomic DNA sample using primers having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7 and SEQ ID NO: 8; (iii) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4; (iv) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6; (v) the amino acid sequence of a GPCR encoded by a polynucleotide hybridizing under stringent conditions to the full-length complement of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 3 or SEQ ID NO: 5; (vi) the amino acid sequence of a GPCR that has an amino acid sequence having at least 70% identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 4 or SEQ ID NO: 6; and (vii) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, but wherein the alanine at amino acid position 398 of SEQ ID NO:2 is substituted with an amino acid selected from the group consisting of lysine, arginine, and histidine, wherein the receptor couples to a G protein or, wherein the GPCR induces cAMP accumulation; and (b) determining the ability of the candidate compound to stimulate functionality of the GPCR; (c) administering a vertebrate with a candidate compound that stimulates functionality of the GPCR; and (d) measuring an energy homeostasis-related parameter of the vertebrate, wherein the energy homeostasis-related parameter is selected from the group consisting of body mass, adiposity, and percentage body fat due to food intake, wherein the ability of the candidate compound to decrease an energy homeostasis-related parameter of the vertebrate is indicative of the candidate compound being a compound that stimulates hypothalamic POMC-derived biologically active peptide secretion.