Hormone receptor-related bioassays

A bioassay for evaluating whether compounds are functional ligands for receptor protein (R), or a functional engineered or modified form (r) thereof, wherein said functional engineered or modified form (r) has transcription-activating properties of receptor protein (R), said bioassay comprising:

• (a) culturing cells which contain non-endogenous DNA which expresses (R) or a functional engineered or modified form (r) thereof, wherein said functional engineered or modified form (r) has transcription-activating properties of (R), and which cells also contain a DNA sequence encoding an operative hormone response element linked to an operative reporter gene, the culturing being conducted in culture medium containing at least one compound (C) whose ability to functionally bind (R) or (r) is sought to be determined, and
• (b) monitoring in said cells induction of the product of said report gene as an indicator or functional binding between compound (C) and (R) or (r).

A bioassay for determining whether a protein has transcription-activating properties of a hormone receptor, said bioassay comprising:

• culturing host cells containing reporter plasmid comprising an operative hormone response element functionally linked to an operative reporter gene, and expression plasmid comprising a DNA sequence encoding protein (R) or an engineered or modified form (r) thereof wherein (r) has transcription-activating properties of a receptor hormone, said culturing being done in the presence and absence of a hormone or analog thereof, said hormone or analog being able to activate said hormone response element in the presence of a protein that functions as a receptor for said hormone or analog thereof;
• and
• monitoring in said cells induction of reporter gene product.