Yeast genomics and proteomics in drug discovery and target validation.
Small, cell permeable, and target-specific chemical ligands are highly valuable, not only as therapeutics but also as research tools. The synthesis, identification and characterization of these compounds is often a difficult task. The straightforward genetics of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the high degree of conservation of basic cellular processes between yeast and higher organisms makes yeast an excellent tool for drug development studies, particularly in regards to anticancer and anti-fungal drug discovery. Recent advances in yeast functional genomics and proteomics studies are changing the field of yeast research. Many of these new technologies are readily applicable to drug target identification and other aspects of drug discovery. This review will focus on current genetic, genomic, and proteomic methodologies in S. cerevisiae that have the potential to be useful in drug discovery and target validation.
Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M3G 1L6 Canada.
Ainslie B
AB
Parsons
Ron
R
Geyer
Timothy R
TR
Hughes
Charles
C
Boone
D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015195:Drug Design; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents