Method of identifying a compound for the treatment or prevention of obesity

A method for identifying a candidate compound for use in reducing the body weight of a mammalian subject, said method comprising:

• (a) contacting a cell expressing a SREB3 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 243 with a candidate compound;
• (b) measuring the expression of said SREB3 polypeptide expressed in said cell,
• (c) contacting a cell expressing a SREB2 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% identity the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO. 552 with said candidate compound;
• and
• (d) measuring the expression of said SREB2 polypeptide expressed in said cell,
• wherein the candidate compound is identified as a compound for use in reducing the body weight of a mammalian subject when a decrease in the expression of said SREB3 polypeptide is measured in a cell contacted with said compound relative to a cell not contacted with said compound and a decrease in the expression of said SREB2 polypeptide is measured in a cell contacted with said compound, relative to a cell not contacted with said candidate compound.