Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.

Takami Maekawa

Yoshiyuki Takahara

Hisayuki Uneyama

Kunio Torii

Ana San Gabriel

Hisao Fukuda

Yutaka Maruyama

Akira Mitsui

Yuzuru Eto

Masayo Date

Yutaka Ishiwatari

Yuko Kai

Tomohisa Okutsu

Maiko Mori

Takashi Kondoh

Fumihiko Yokoya

A method for screening an objective substance such as a salty-taste modifying substance is provided. It is identified by using a TMC6 protein whether a test substance is an objective substance such as a salty-taste modifying substance.

Method of using transmembrane channel-like protein 6 (TMC6) protein to identify substances affecting salty taste

By contacting a test substance with a cell that expresses a Kv3.2 protein, and comparing observed cation influx into the cell with cation influx into the cell observed when the test substance is not contacted with the cell, a salty taste modulating substance such as salt alternative compound, or salt perception enhancing or inhibiting compound is screened.

Method for screening a salty taste modulating substance

An isolated DNA molecule which encodes a novel glutamate receptor and a transformed cell expressing the receptor are provided.

Glutamate receptors and utilization thereof

Each gene in a group comprising many genes is cloned into an expression vector so that its gene product should be expressed as a fusion protein with a protein emitting self-fluorescence to construct a gene expression library. The gene expression library is introduced into cells of two groups to express the fusion proteins in the cells, and only one cell group is stimulated by a drug or the like. Then, cells in which the fusion proteins are localized in the nuclei or their nuclei are isolated from cells of the two groups, respectively. By comparing these cells, genes coding for proteins that are transported into the nuclei specifically in response to a certain stimulus when the stimulus is applied to the cells are retrieved.

Method of searching for gene encoding nuclear transport protein

An isolated polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, wherein the expression of said polypeptide is significant lower specifically in human livers with hepatitis compared with that in human health livers. The detection of said polypeptide expression in human liver can be used as a diagnosis for human hepatitis.

Polypeptides, use thereof and process for producing the same

The inventive subject matter relates to a glutamate receptor, DNA which encodes the receptor, a transformed cell expressing the receptor, a method for producing the receptor, a method for identifying an agonist, antagonist, or allosteric modulator for glutamic acid, a method for identifying an agonist for glutamic acid, an antibody to the receptor, and processes for making glutamate receptor modulators and pharmaceutical compositions comprising said modulator.

Glutamate receptor and utilization thereof

An agonist or antagonist of glutamic acid or an allosteric modulator is screened by reacting a glutamic acid receptor protein having the following properties with a substance binding thereto in the presence of a test substance and detecting the inhibition or promotion of the reaction: (A) it has a transmembrane domain and an intracellular domain common to those of type 4 metabotropic glutamic acid receptor protein, or (B) it has an extracellular domain by about 316 or 327 amino acid residues shorter than that of the type 4 metabotropic glutamic acid receptor protein.

Glutamic acid receptor and utilization thereof

In gene expression frequency analysis, a vector primer to which each cDNA is ligated is formed by synthesizing the cDNA from each mRNA using by a vector primer having a poly(T) sequence; each cDNA sequence is converted to a tag on the vector primer; a concatemer is formed by ligating the obtained tags via a sequence that enables recognition of ends of the tags; and the nucleotide sequence of the concatemer is analyzed.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Takami Maekawa