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US 6,746,843 B2Granted
Methods of screening novel agents for use in cancer therapy and prevention
AssigneeThe Curators of the University of Missouri
InventorsHannah Alexander, Stephen Alexander
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Abstract
The present invention provides for methods of screening agents for cancer therapeutic and prophylactic activity. In particular embodiments, cells of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum are contacted with candidate agents and the expression of genes in the Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) and Base Excision Repair (BER) pathways are examined. Such genes include the helicases repB and repD, and the apurinic-apyrmidinic endonuclease APE.
Claims31
A method of screening and classifying agents based on cytotoxicity in Dictyostelium discoideum comprising first screening by:
- (a) contacting a vegetative cell of Dictyostelium discoideum with a test agent;
- (b) assessing the cytotoxicity of said test agent;
- (c) assessing the effect of said test agent on the expression of one or more of repB, repD and APE gene products;
- and
- (d) comparing said cytotoxicity and said expression in the presence of said test agent with a vegetative cell of Dictyostelium discoideum not exposed to said test agent;
- and then classifying as:
- (i) a test agent that is cytotoxic but does not induce expression of one or more of repB, repD and APE gene products;
- (ii) a test agent that is not cytotoxic but does induce expression of one or more of repB, repD and APE gene products;
- or
- (iii) a test agent that inhibits the expression of one or more of repB, repD and APE gene products.
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