NOVEL GENES IN THE JNK SIGNALING PATHWAY

Researchers at UCSF have identified two novel mouse proteins that interact with mammalian Dishevelled in yeast two hybrid assays. As Dishevelled is a highly conserved component involved in both the Wnt signaling pathway and the JNK signaling pathway, these new genes represent potential targets for disruption of the cell cycle for the treatment of cancer and other hyperproliferative disorders.

Each of the full length genes has been cloned. Each of the proteins, as expressed in mammalian cell culture, co-immunoprecipitates with endogenous Dishevelled. Northern analysis shows that these two genes are widely expressed in different tissues. Overexpression of one of these genes has been shown to activate JNK signaling in cell culture. Further work is underway to validate these genes as potential targets for cancer therapeutics.

If you would like to receive further information about this technology and potential licensing opportunities, please contact:

Joel B. Kirschbaum, Ph.D.
Director & Senior Technology Portfolio Manager
(415) 353-4462 phone
(415) 348-1579 fax
Joel Kirschbaum, Ph.D.

Reference: OTM Case #SF99-062