Antibodies immunospecific for a novel human G-protein coupled receptor family

The present invention relates to novel identified polynucleotides, polypeptides encoded by them and to the use of such polynucleotides and polypeptides, and to their production. More particularly, the polynucleotides and polypeptides of the present invention relate to the G-protein coupled receptor family, referred to as IGS4-family. The invention also relates to inhibiting or activating the action of such polynucleotides and polypeptides, to a vector containing said polynucleotides, a host cell containing such vector and transgenic animals where the IGS4-gene is either overexpressed, misexpressed, underexposed or suppressed (knock-out animals). The invention further relates to a method for screening compounds capable to act as an agonist or an antagonist of said G-protein coupled receptor family IGS4 and the use of IGS4 polypeptides and polynucleotides and agonists or antagonists to the IGS4 receptor family in the treatment of PNS, psychiatric and CNS disorders, including schizophrenia, episodic paroxysmal anxiety (EPA) disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobia and panic, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, general anxiety disorder, autism, delirium, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease/dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, severe mental retardation, dyskinesias, Huntington's disease, Tourett's syndrome, tics, tremor, dystonia, spasms, anorexia, bulimia, stroke, addiction/dependency/craving, sleep disorder, epilepsy, migraine; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, angina pectoris, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, hypotension, hypertension—e.g. essential hypertension, renal hypertension, or pulmonary hypertension, thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, cerebral vasospasm, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia, cerebral infarction, peripheral vascular disease, Raynand's disease, kidney disease—e.g. renal failure; dyslipidemias; obesity; emesis; gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastroesophagal reflux disease (GERD), motility disorders and conditions of delayed gastric emptying, such as post operative or diabetic gastroparesis, and diabetes, ulcers—e.g. gastric ulcer, diarrhoea; other diseases including osteoporosis; inflammations; infections such as bacterial, fungal, protozoan and viral infections, particularly infections caused by HIV-1 or HIV-2; pain; cancers; chemotherapy induced injury; tumor invasion; immune disorders; urinary retention; asthma; allergies; arthritis; benign prostatic hypertrophy; endotoxin shock; sepsis; complication of diabetes mellitus; and gynaecological disorders, among others and diagnostic assays for such conditions. Preferred uses of the invention relate to disorders of the nervous system, including the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), disorders of the gastrointestinal system and/or of the cardiovascular system and/or of skeletal muscle and/or of the thyroid and/or also to lung diseases, immunological diseases and disorders of the genitourinary system. The invention also relates to the identification of the cognate ligand of the IGS4 polypeptides of the invention. High affinity binding to said IGS4 polypeptides is found for the neuropeptides known as neuromedin U.