Methods and diagnostic kits utilizing mammalian stress promoters to determine toxicity of a compound
申请人:President and Fellows of Harvard College and Xenometrix, Inc.
公开号:US20030219714A1
公开(公告)日:2003-11-27
This invention provides methods and diagnostic kits for identifying and characterizing toxic compounds. These methods and diagnostic kits measure transcription or translation levels from genes linked to native eukaryotic stress promoters, especially those of mammals. The kits and methods of this invention utilize at least one stress promoter from each of the following groups: redox stress, DNA stress, protein stress and energy/ionic stress. The invention also provides methods and diagnostic kits for identifying and characterizing compounds that are toxic to specific organs, such as skin and the eye, as well as for each of the individual stresses indicated above. The methods and diagnostic kits of this invention yield information concerning the action of a compound on a subcellular level. This information may be utilized to design antitoxins to compounds found to be toxic and in active drug design.
本发明提供了识别和鉴定有毒化合物的方法和诊断试剂盒。这些方法和诊断试剂盒可测量与原生真核生物应激启动子(尤其是哺乳动物的应激启动子)相连的基因的转录或翻译水平。本发明的试剂盒和方法利用了至少一种来自以下各组的应激启动子:氧化还原应激、DNA 应激、蛋白质应激和能量/离子应激。本发明还提供了一些方法和诊断试剂盒,用于识别和鉴定对特定器官(如皮肤和眼睛)有毒的化合物,以及上述每种应激。本发明的方法和诊断试剂盒可获得化合物在亚细胞水平上的作用信息。这些信息可用于设计抗毒素,以对抗被发现具有毒性的化合物,也可用于活性药物的设计。