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Engineering a yeast double-molecule carrier for drug screening
Qiyun Zhang1,2,3, Sheng Hu4, Ke Wang5,6
1a Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Molecular Engineering, Department of Medicinal Plants, College of Plant Science and Technology , Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) , Wuhan , China.
Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology
|April 4, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed a novel yeast-based platform for rapid, high-throughput screening of anti-inflammatory drugs. This method quantifies cellular inflammation by measuring yeast-mammalian cell binding, identifying potential drug candidates efficiently.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Yeast is a valuable tool in biochemical and genetic studies due to its simple structure and ease of manipulation.
- Developing efficient screening platforms is crucial for discovering drugs targeting inflammation and related diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a yeast-based double-molecule carrier system for a high-throughput anti-inflammatory drug screening platform.
- To establish an "inflammatory index" for quantifying chemical effects on cellular inflammation.
Main Methods:
- Engineered yeast to display the I domain of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 on its surface, targeting intercellular adhesion molecule 1 on mammalian cells.
- Expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) intracellularly in yeast for quantifiable measurement of yeast-mammalian cell binding via GFP intensity.
- Screened 1340 chemicals to determine their inflammatory potency.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed a yeast platform that quantifies cellular inflammation through GFP intensity, reflecting yeast-mammalian cell binding.
- Identified and verified 1 inflammation-inducing and 1 inflammation-reducing compound in vitro and in vivo.
- Demonstrated the platform's ability to provide a swift, facile, and high-throughput method for drug discovery.
Conclusions:
- The engineered yeast system serves as an effective protein-level screening platform for anti-inflammatory drug discovery.
- This approach offers a simplified, high-throughput alternative to sophisticated instruments for identifying inflammation modulators.
- The developed method facilitates drug discovery for inflammatory diseases by providing a robust screening tool.
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