Nucleic acids encoding T2R, a novel family of taste receptors
The invention provides isolated nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of taste cell specific G-protein coupled receptors, antibodies to such receptors, methods of detecting such nucleic acids and receptors, and methods of screening for modulators of taste cell specific G-protein coupled receptors.
1. An isolated nucleic acid encoding a T2R family taste transduction G-protein coupled receptor, wherein the receptor is expressed in a taste cell, the receptor comprising a polypeptide having greater than 95% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1.
2. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a receptor that has G-protein coupled receptor activity.
3. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a receptor comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
4. The isolated nucleic acid sequence of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid comprises a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.
5. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid is from a rat or a mouse.
6. An expression vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim 1 .
7. An isolated cell comprising the vector of claim 6 .