Patent ID: 7344844

Claim:
A method for identifying an agent for treating a diabetic or pre-diabetic individual, the method comprising the steps of: (i) contacting a candidate agent with a polypeptide having phosphorylating activity, wherein the polypeptide is at least 1000 amino acids and comprises the kinase domain of SEQ ID NO: 2 and further domain of SEQ ID NO: 2 and further, wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid comprising the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1; wherein the stringent conditions are hybridization conditions in 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS, incubating at 42° C., and wash in 0.2×SSC, and 0.1% SDS at 65° C.; (ii) determining binding of the agent to the polypeptide; (iii) selecting an agent that binds to the polypeptide; (iv) administering the agent to a test population of pancreatic beta cells; (v) determining the cell number in the test population relative to a control population of pancreatic beta cells; and (vi) selecting an agent that increases cell number.