A method and apparatus are provided for aligning optical elements or microbeads, wherein each microbead has an elongated body with a code embedded therein along a longitudinal axis thereof to be read by a code reading device. The microbeads are aligned with a positioning device so the longitudinal axis of the microbeads is positioned in a fixed orientation relative to the code reading device. The microbeads are typically cylindrically shaped glass beads between 25 and 250 microns (.mu.m) in diam...

The present invention is related to the G-protein coupled orphan receptor GPR43 and the identification of short chain fatty acids as natural ligands of the receptor. The invention further relates to assays for the identification of agents that modulate GPR43 ligand binding and signaling activity, as well as compositions consisting essentially of an isolated GPR43 polypeptide and an isolated short chain fatty acid. The invention also relates to diagnostic methods and kits that take advantage of t...

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods for identifying compounds which modify the activity of the G protein-coupled receptor GPR45 like/GPR63, compositions useful for this method, and compounds identified by it.

Novel genes expressed selectively by long-term dendritic cell (DC) lines (XS series) from murine epidermis which retain important features of resident epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) are provided. These genes encode distinct type II membrane-integrated polypeptides, each consisting of a cytoplasmic domain, a transmembrane domain, an extracellular connecting domain, and a C-terminal extracellular domain that exhibits significant homology to the carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD) of C-type lec...

DNAs encoding human voltage gated sodium channel .beta.1A subunit have been cloned and characterized. The recombinant protein is capable of forming biologically active protein. The cDNA's have been expressed in recombinant host cells that produce active recombinant protein. The recombinant protein is also purified from the recombinant host cells. In addition, the recombinant host cells are utilized to establish a method for identifying modulators of the receptor activity, and receptor modulators...

Methods of measuring the presence/absence of a coupling factor 6, which is a subunit of H.sup.+-transporting ATP synthase.fwdarw.H.sup.+ ATP synthase present in the mitochondrial inner membrane, in the blood and the concentration thereof are provided. Further, relations among the coupling factor 6 level in the blood and diseases and relations among the inhibition of the effect of the coupling factor and therapeutic effects on diseases are clarified and thus techniques for diagnosing and treating...

The present invention provides a highly sensitive screening assay for the identification of peptide binding partners to virtually any peptide or polypeptide ligand. Utilizing an expression-repression readout system, the inventors have screened libraries of peptides and identified relatively small peptide molecules that bind to the provided target.

The present invention relates to methods for high information content (HIC) analysis or screening of complex biological systems using Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS). The present methods are useful for analyzing complex biological mixtures containing both high molecular weight molecules (e.g., polynucleotides, proteins, polysaccharides) and low molecular weight molecules (e.g., oligonucleotides, peptides, lipids, oligosaccharides, steroid hormones, catabolic and metabolic intermediate...

This invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding a human dopamine D.sub.1 receptor, isolated proteins which are human dopamine D.sub.1 receptor, vectors comprising isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding a human dopamine D.sub.1 receptor, mammalian cells comprising such vectors, antibodies directed to a human dopamine D.sub.1 receptor, nucleic acid probes useful for detecting nucleic acid encoding human dopamine D.sub.1 receptor, antisense oligonucleotides complementary to any s...

Human HADH genes are identified as modulators of the p21 pathway, and thus are therapeutic targets for disorders associated with defective p21 function. Methods for identifying modulators of p21, comprising screening for agents that modulate the activity of HADH are provided.