# US 8,541,197 B2 · Targets, including Yap1, for antifungal drug discovery and therapy

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,541,197 B2
- Document ID: US8541197B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/517,971
- Filed: 2007-12-10
- Published: 2011-02-10
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2006-12-08
- Assignees: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Applicants: Reeta Prusty Rao; Samuel Michael Politz
- Inventors: Reeta Prusty Rao; Samuel Michael Politz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541197B2

## CPC

- C12N 1/18: Baker's yeast; Brewer's yeast
- A01K 67/64: Genetically modified nematodes
- A61P 31/10: Antimycotics
- C12Q 1/18: Testing for antimicrobial activity of a material
- A01K 2227/703: Worms, e.g. Caenorhabdities elegans
- A01K 2267/03: Animal model, e.g. for test or diseases
- G01N 2333/395: from Saccharomyces
- G01N 2333/43534: from Caenorhabditis
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A61P: SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

The present invention is based on the discovery of a two organism model system that can be used to identify virulence factors. The system is also useful in the process of drug delivery. More specifically, we have established valid fungal infection in caenorhabditis elegans with an invading pathogen, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Because both species are genetic model organisms, the assay can be used to identify host and virulence factors involved in such interactions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of identifying an antifungal compound, the method comprising:
(a) providing a co-culture comprising a C. elegans, E. coli, and a fungal pathogen comprising a mutant gene;
(b) determining whether the fungal pathogen infects the C. elegans, wherein a lack of infection identifies the protein encoded by the wild type correlate of the mutant gene as a virulence factor;
(c) exposing a wild type fungal pathogen that expresses the virulence factor to a test compound; and
(d) determining whether the test compound inhibits expression of the virulence factor, wherein a decrease in the expression of the virulence factor indicates that the test compound is an antifungal compound.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fungal pathogen is S. cerevisiae.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fungal pathogen comprises a mutation in a gene that is expressed in the fungal pathogen but not in a mammal.