This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at UW-Madison.
What is chemical genetics?
Chemical genetics is the screening of small molecule libraries for chemicals that cause a phenotype of interest. This is analogous to classical genetic screens, where mutations are introduced to induce phenotypes of interest. Large scale screening of small molecules enable important new insight into biological processes as well as the development of therapeutic treatments. [1]
Isoxazole and neuron regeneration
Discussion
Searches using Pubchem did not show the presence of any drug that targets MEF2C and depression. Nevertheless, a drug called Isoxazole has been shown to cause neuron regeneration in adult neural stem cells via the upregulation of MEF2C by mediating nuclear export of HDAC5, a MEF2 regulator. This molecule could be a potential drug used to treat neuron imbalance via neuron regeneration in depression caused by MEF2C misregulation. Once the function of MEF2C is understood in regulating synaptic density and whether there is a lack of excitatory or inhibitory neurons in depression, a drug screen can be done using Isoxazole.
References:
[1] Kawasumi, M., & Nghiem, P. (2007). Chemical genetics: elucidating biological systems with small-molecule compounds. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 127(7), 1577-1584.
Images:
Header: http://www.ici.com.pk/our-businesses/chemicals/
Fig. 1: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/chemical_genetics
[1] Kawasumi, M., & Nghiem, P. (2007). Chemical genetics: elucidating biological systems with small-molecule compounds. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 127(7), 1577-1584.
Images:
Header: http://www.ici.com.pk/our-businesses/chemicals/
Fig. 1: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/chemical_genetics