Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Using Synthetic Lethal Chemogenetic (SLC) Analysis

Abstract

I am developing a novel cell-based small-molecule screening approach that can identify inhibitors of any non-essential protein function through a surrogate synthetic lethal phenotype in the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Synthetic lethality (SL) is a form of genetic enhancement in which two mutations are lethal in combination, but the corresponding individual mutants are viable. Thus, a sensitized yeast strain carrying a mutation that is synthetic lethal with a gene of interest will be inviable in the presence of a chemical inhibitor of the target protein. Systematic genome-wide genetic screens can simultaneously determine all the synthetic lethal genetic interactions for a given gene deletion in yeast. I will adopt this strategy to determine the SL partners for the yeast genes SCH9, the yeast homologue of the human oncogene AKT, and TEP1, the yeast equivalent of the human tumor suppressor PTEN. Selected confirmed synthetic lethal mutants will be used as sensitized strains to screen a commercial small-molecule library for inhibitors of the corresponding proteins. I have developed a yeast-based high-throughput screening platform to screen the Maybridge small-molecule library. Compounds derived from the initial chemical genetic screen will be validated biochemically and, ultimately, tested on mammalian cells for activity against the human homologues.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA460468

Entities

People

  • David S. Bellows

Organizations

  • Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biology
  • Biomedical Research
  • Breast Cancer
  • Genes
  • Genetic Techniques
  • Genetic Tissue Identification
  • Genetics
  • Genome
  • Health Services
  • Inhibitors
  • Molecules
  • Mutations
  • Neoplasms
  • Phenotypes
  • Platforms
  • Small Molecules
  • Throughput

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Genetics

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology