title: A screen for drugs that protect against the cytotoxicity of polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor.
abstract: Spinobulbar muscular atrophy is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a CAG triplet repeat sequence encoding a polyglutamine tract in the androgen receptor. It has been shown that the mutant protein is toxic in cell culture and triggers an apoptotic cascade resulting in activation of caspase-3. We developed an assay of caspase-3 activation in cells expressing the mutant androgen receptor. This assay was used to screen 1040 drugs, most of which are approved for clinical use. Drugs that inhibit polyglutamine-dependent activation of caspase-3 were subjected to follow-up screens to identify compounds that reproducibly prevent polyglutamine-induced cytotoxicity. Four drugs satisfied these criteria. Three of these (digitoxin, nerifolin and peruvoside) are structurally and functionally related compounds of the cardiac glycoside class and known inhibitors of Na(+)K(+)-ATPase. The fourth compound, suloctidil, is a calcium channel blocker.
authors.affiliation: Neurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MS 20892-1250, USA.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piccioni
authors.forename: Benjamin R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Fischbeck
authors.forename: J Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D002298:Cardenolides / Q000494:pharmacology; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004074:Digitoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D020966:Muscular Disorders, Atrophic / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013468:Suloctidil / Q000494:pharmacology; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002298:Cardenolides; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010455:Peptides; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C097188:polyglutamine; C040684:neriifolin; C100098:cannogenin thevetoside; D004074:Digitoxin; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D013468:Suloctidil