title: Development of a yeast retrotransposon-based system useful for screening of potentially active anti-retroviral compounds.
abstract: We have developed a new system suitable for easy inexpensive screening of substances potentially active against HIV and other retroviruses. The system evaluates the ability of substances to inhibit the high-frequency induced retrotransposition of the yeast transposable element Ty917, and is based on an engineered version of the retrotransposon which carries a dominant selectable marker useful for scoring transposition events. The system performance was evaluated using two nucleoside analogues of proved anti-HIV activity, 3'-azido-3'deoxythymidine (AZT) and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddC). Both substances were able to inhibit Ty917 transposition and could have been detected as potentially active antiretroviral drugs using the new screening system.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanguinetti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Posteraro
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rossolini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Satta
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D018626:Retroelements / Q000187:drug effects*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000187:drug effects*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D016047:Zalcitabine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018626:Retroelements; D015215:Zidovudine; D016047:Zalcitabine