Patent ID: 7544480

Claim:
A method of identifying an agent which inhibits hydroxylation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), the method comprising: introducing into a cell that expresses a substrate of HIF asparagine hydroxylase a vector expressing HIF asparagine hydroxylase, the HIF asparagine hydroxylase having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or a variant or fragment thereof having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and having HIF asparagine hydroxylase activity; contacting the cell with a test substance under conditions in which asparagine in the substrate is hydroxylated in the absence of the test substance; and determining hydroxylation of the substrate, wherein a decrease in the hydroxylation of the asparagine in the substrate in the presence of the test substance compared with the hydroxylation of the asparagine in the substrate in the absence of the test substance identifies the test substance as the agent which inhibits hydroxylation of HIF.