A positive screening for drugs that specifically inhibit the Ca2+-signaling activity on the basis of the growth promoting effect on a yeast mutant with a peculiar phenotype

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2000 Sep;64(9):1942-6. doi: 10.1271/bbb.64.1942.

Abstract

An inappropriate activation of a signaling pathway in yeast often has a deleterious physiological effect and causes various defects, including growth defects. In a certain genetic background (deltazds1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell-cycle progression in G2 is specifically blocked in the medium with CaCl2 by the hyperactivation of the Ca2+-signaling pathways. Here, we developed a novel drug screening procedure designed to detect the active compounds that specifically attenuate the Ca2+-signaling activity on the basis of the ability to abrogate the growth defect of the cells suffering from the hyperactivated Ca2+ signal. Using known calcineurin inhibitors as model compounds, we have established the screening conditions for the drugs that suppress the Ca2+-induced growth inhibition. An indicator strain with an increased drug sensitivity was constructed with a syr1/erg3 null mutation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calcineurin Inhibitors*
  • Calcium Chloride / pharmacology
  • Calcium Signaling / drug effects*
  • Calcium Signaling / physiology
  • Cell Cycle / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle / physiology
  • Cyclosporine / pharmacology*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods
  • G2 Phase
  • Phenotype
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / cytology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / drug effects
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / physiology*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tacrolimus / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Calcineurin Inhibitors
  • Cyclosporine
  • Calcium Chloride
  • Tacrolimus