This nuclear receptor assay system utilizes proprietary human mammalian cells engineered to provide high-level expression of a hybrid form of the human estrogen-related receptor alpha (NR3B1). The N-terminal DNA binding domains (DBD) of the native ERR(alpha) has been substituted with that of the yeast GAL4-DBD. The reporter gene is beetle luciferase functionally linked to the GAL4 upstream activation sequence (UAS). As is true in vivo, these reporter cells express ERR(alpha) in a constant state of high-level activity. The principal application of this assay system is in the screening of test samples to quantify inverse-agonist activities that they may exert against human ERR(alpha). ERR(alpha) reporter cells are prepared using INDIGO