Method of screening therapeutic agents

A kit for screening agents suitable for combating diseases associated with gene regulation by one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin, said kit comprising:

• a Smad protein as nereinbefore defined
• TGFβ or activin
• a double strand DNA molecule comprising the sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C, said sequence optionally being in operable linkage with a promoter or enhancer sequence and coding region of a gene whose product is detectable.

A method of treating a disease associated with gene regulation by means of one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin, said method comprising administering to a mammal, including a human, a double strand oligonucleotide comprising the sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C.

Use of a double strand oligonucleotide comprising the sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C, in the treatment of a disease associated with gene regulation by one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin.

Use of a double strand oligonucleotide comprising the sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C, in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disease associated with gene regulation by one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin.

A method of treating a disease associated with gene regulation by means of one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin, said method comprising administering to a mammal, including a human, a therapeutic amount of an agent which inhibits or activates transcriptional activity or binding of said Smad proteins with a promoter or enhancer implicated in the gene regulation by TGFβ or activin, said promoter or enhancer comprising the nucleotide sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C.

Use of a therapeutic amount of an agent which inhibits or activates transcriptional activity or binding of one or more Smad proteins with a promoter or enhancer implicated in the gene regulation by TGFβ or activin, said promoter or enhancer comprising the nucleotide sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C, in the treatment of a disease associated with gene regulation by one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin.

Use of a therapeutic amount of an agent which inhibits or activates transcriptional activity or binding of one or more Smad proteins with a promoter or enhancer implicated in the gene regulation by TGFβ or activin, said promoter or enhancer comprising the nucleotide sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C, in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disease associated with gene regulation by one or more Smad proteins and TGFβ or activin.

An isolated double strand DNA molecule comprising the sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A, G or T and Z represents A or C.

A therapeutic agent which inhibits or activates transcriptional activity or binding of one or more Smad proteins with a promoter or enhancer implicated in the gene regulation by TGFβ or activin, said promoter or enhancer comprising the nucleotide sequence 5′ WXYCAGACZ 3′ or a functional equivalent thereof, wherein in said nucleotide sequence W represents A or G, X represents G or T, Y represents C, A or G and Z represents A or C.