Methods To Identify Compounds Useful For The Treatment Of Proliferative And Differentiative Disorders

Abstract

The present invention relates to the discovery, identification and characterization of nucleotide sequences that encode novel substrate-targeting subunits of ubiquitin ligases. The invention encompasses nucleotides encoding novel substrate-targeting subunits of ubiquitin ligases, and transgenic mice, knock-out mice, host-cell expression systems and proteins encoded by the nucleotides of the novel substrate-targeting subunits. The present invention relates to screening assays that use novel and known substrate-targeting subunits of ubiquitin ligases to identify potential therapeutic agents such as small molecules, compounds or derivatives and analogues of the novel and known ubiquitin ligases which modulate activity of the novel and known ubiquitin ligases for the treatment of proliferative and differentiative disorders, such as cancer, major opportunistic infections, immune disorders, certain cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory disorders. The invention further encompasses therapeutic protocols and pharmaceutical compositions designed to target ubiquitin ligases and their substrates for the treatment of proliferative and differentiative disorders.

1 . A method for identifying a compound which modulates the activity of ubiquitin ligases comprising
 a) incubating components comprising the compound, an F-box protein (FBP), or a fragment thereof comprising the F-Box motif, and an FBP target substrate, wherein the incubation is carried out under conditions sufficient to allow the components to interact; and wherein the FBP is Fbl10; and   b) detecting ubiquitination of the FBP target substrate in the presence and in the absence of the compound, wherein an alteration in ubiquitination of the FBP target substrate in the presence of the compound compared to ubiquitination of the FBP target substrate in the absence of the compound indicates that the compound modulates the activity of ubiquitin ligases.   
     
     
         2 .- 5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the incubating components further comprise an FBP-associated protein that is not an FBP target substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the FBP target substrate is a component of the ubiquitin pathway. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the FBP-associated protein is an FPB pseudosubstrate. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the FBP-associated protein is a protein which regulates the binding of the FBP to the FBP target substrate. 
     
     
         10 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A method of  claim 1 , wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of a small molecule, a peptide, an antibody, an antisense molecule, or a ribozyme.