Harvard Medical School Researchers Identify Four Human Genes Essential To Cell Division; Discovery Yields New Target For Cancer...( olutely requiredfor cell proliferation...)

olutely required for cell proliferation," says Yu. The protein complex drives a dividing cell from the metaphase stage of mitosis into anaphase--from the point in which the chromosomes find their partner and gather in pairs in the center of the cell, to the point in which each member of the chromosomal pair separates and migrates to the distant cellular poles. A new cell membrane forms between the chromosomal clumps, and mitosis concludes with the formation of two identical daughter cells, each containing an intact copy of the parent cell's genetic information.

An essential step in the development of any new drug is an accurate detection system that will report whether the compound being tested is having the desired effect on the target cell. If APC inhibition is detected following addition of a certain compound the chemical that sounded the alarm can be carefully investigated for its clinical suitability. The Kirschner group has filed a patent for the biochemical method that they devised for analyzing APC activity. The assay is amenable to automation, making it an attractive way to quickly screen many different chemical compounds.

"The intention is to use [the assay] to screen for small molecule inhibitors which might be very useful in anticancer and antiproliferation drugs," says Kirschner.

The study was funded by two grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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Contact: William J. Schaller
schaller@warren.med.harvard.edu
617 432-0441
Harvard Medical School
24-Feb-1998

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