Methods of identifying modulators of ChemerinR polypeptides

A method of identifying an agent that increases the signaling of a ChemerinR polypeptide, wherein said ChemerinR polypeptide sequence is SEQ ID NO:

• 2, or 4, or 6, said method comprising:
• (a) contacting said ChemerinR polypeptide with a candidate modulator;
• (b) measuring a signaling activity of said ChemerinR polypeptide in the presence of said candidate modulator;
• and
• (c) comparing said activity measured in the presence of said candidate modulator to said activity measured in the absence of said candidate modulator in a reaction in which said ChemerinR polypeptide is contacted with a Chemerin polypeptide, said Chemerin polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of YFPGQFAFS (SEQ ID NO:
• 61) and FLPGQFAFS (SEQ ID NO:
• 47), wherein said candidate modulator is identified as an agent that increases the signaling of said ChemerinR polypeptide when the amount of said activity measured in the presence of said candidate modulator is at least 10% of the amount induced by said Chemerin polypeptide.

A method of identifying an agent that decreases the signaling of a ChemerinR polypeptide, wherein said ChemerinR polypeptide sequence is SEQ ID NO:

• 2, or 4, or 6, said method comprising:
• (a) contacting said ChemerinR polypeptide with a Chemerin polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of YFPGQFAFS (SEQ ID NO:
• 61) and FLPGQFAFS (SEQ ID NO:
• 47) in the presence or absence of a candidate modulator;
• (b) measuring a signaling activity of said ChemerinR polypeptide in the presence or absence of said candidate modulator;
• and
• (c) comparing said activity measured in the presence of said candidate modulator to said activity measured in the absence of said candidate modulator, wherein a decrease in said activity in the presence of said candidate modulator relative to the activity in the absence of said candidate modulator identifies said candidate modulator as an agent that decreases the signaling of said ChemerinR polypeptide.