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Identification of novel compounds that increase SMN protein levels using an improved SMN2 reporter cell assay.

ABSTRACT: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive loss of motor neuron function. It is caused by the homozygous loss of the SMN1 (survival of motor neuron 1) gene and a decrease in full-length SMN protein. SMN2 is a nearly identical homolog of SMN1 that, due to alternative splicing, expresses predominantly truncated SMN protein. SMN2 represents an enticing therapeutic target. Increasing expression of full-length SMN from the SMN2 gene might represent a treatment for SMA. We describe a newly designed cell-based reporter assay that faithfully and reproducibly measures full-length SMN expression from the SMN2 gene. This reporter can detect increases of SMN protein by an array of compounds previously shown to regulate SMN2 expression and by the overexpression of proteins that modulate SMN2 splicing. It also can be used to evaluate changes at both the transcriptional and splicing level. This assay can be a valuable tool for the identification of novel compounds that increase SMN2 protein levels and the optimization of compounds already known to modulate SMN2 expression. We present here preliminary data from a high-throughput screen using this assay to identify novel compounds that increase expression of SMN2.

SUBMITTER: Cherry JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3870337 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Identification of novel compounds that increase SMN protein levels using an improved SMN2 reporter cell assay.

Cherry Jonathan J JJ Evans Matthew C MC Ni Jake J Cuny Gregory D GD Glicksman Marcie A MA Androphy Elliot J EJ

Journal of biomolecular screening 20120110 4

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive loss of motor neuron function. It is caused by the homozygous loss of the SMN1 (survival of motor neuron 1) gene and a decrease in full-length SMN protein. SMN2 is a nearly identical homolog of SMN1 that, due to alternative splicing, expresses predominantly truncated SMN protein. SMN2 represents an enticing therapeutic target. Increasing expression of full-length SMN from the SMN2 gene might repres ...[more]

PMID: 22233647

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Project description:UnlabelledA high-throughput phenotypic screen based on a Citrobacter freundii AmpC reporter expressed in Escherichia coli was executed to discover novel inhibitors of bacterial cell wall synthesis, an attractive, well-validated target for antibiotic intervention. Here we describe the discovery and characterization of sulfonyl piperazine and pyrazole compounds, each with novel mechanisms of action. E. coli mutants resistant to these compounds display no cross-resistance to antibiotics of other classes. Resistance to the sulfonyl piperazine maps to LpxH, which catalyzes the fourth step in the synthesis of lipid A, the outer membrane anchor of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To our knowledge, this compound is the first reported inhibitor of LpxH. Resistance to the pyrazole compound mapped to mutations in either LolC or LolE, components of the essential LolCDE transporter complex, which is required for trafficking of lipoproteins to the outer membrane. Biochemical experiments with E. coli spheroplasts showed that the pyrazole compound is capable of inhibiting the release of lipoproteins from the inner membrane. Both of these compounds have significant promise as chemical probes to further interrogate the potential of these novel cell wall components for antimicrobial therapy.ImportanceThe prevalence of antibacterial resistance, particularly among Gram-negative organisms, signals a need for novel antibacterial agents. A phenotypic screen using AmpC as a sensor for compounds that inhibit processes involved in Gram-negative envelope biogenesis led to the identification of two novel inhibitors with unique mechanisms of action targeting Escherichia coli outer membrane biogenesis. One compound inhibits the transport system for lipoprotein transport to the outer membrane, while the other compound inhibits synthesis of lipopolysaccharide. These results indicate that it is still possible to uncover new compounds with intrinsic antibacterial activity that inhibit novel targets related to the cell envelope, suggesting that the Gram-negative cell envelope still has untapped potential for therapeutic intervention.

Dataset Information

Identification of novel compounds that increase SMN protein levels using an improved SMN2 reporter cell assay.

Publications

Identification of novel compounds that increase SMN protein levels using an improved SMN2 reporter cell assay.

Similar Datasets

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