title: Development of a high throughput drug screening assay to identify compounds that protect oligodendrocyte viability and differentiation under inflammatory conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Newly proliferated oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) migrate and surround lesions of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases, but fail to differentiate into oligodendrocytes (OLs) and remyelinate remaining viable axons. The abundance of secreted inflammatory factors within and surrounding these lesions likely plays a major inhibitory role, promoting cell death and preventing OL differentiation and axon remyelination. To identify clinical candidate compounds that may protect existing and differentiating OLs in patients, we have developed a high throughput screening (HTS) assay that utilizes purified rat OPCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a fluorescent indicator of cell viability coupled with image quantification, we developed an assay to allow the identification of compounds that promote OL viability and differentiation in the presence of the synergistic inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α and interferon-γ. We have utilized this assay to screen the NIH clinical collection library and identify compounds that protect OLs and promote OL differentiation in the presence of these inflammatory cytokines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This primary OL-based cytokine protection assay is adaptable for HTS and may be easily modified for profiling of compounds in the presence of other potentially inhibitory molecules found in MS lesions. This assay should be of use to those interested in identifying drugs for the treatment of MS and other demyelinating diseases.
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA.|Teva Pharmaceuticals, Biologics and CNS Discovery, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA.
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Lariosa-Willingham
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA.|Alios BioPharma, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
authors.forename: Elen S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Rosler
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA.
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA.|Rigel Pharmaceuticals, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
authors.forename: Jason C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dugas
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA.|NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
authors.forename: Tassie L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Translational Medicine Center, Myelin Repair Foundation, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, USA. dmitri.leonoudakis@tevapharm.com.|Teva Pharmaceuticals, Biologics and CNS Discovery, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA. dmitri.leonoudakis@tevapharm.com.
authors.forename: Dmitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leonoudakis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Cytokine; Differentiation; Drug screening; High throughput; Image analysis; Interferon gamma; Multiple sclerosis; Myelin basic protein; Myelination; Oligodendrocyte; Primary cell-based assay; Protection; Tumor necrosis factor alpha