MODULATORS OF PARAPTOSIS AND RELATED METHODS

摘要

The invention is directed to a method of identifying a compound that modulates SP-induced paraptosis by (a) contacting a population of cells with an effective amount of substance P to induce SP-induced paraptosis; (b) contacting a first sub-population of the cells with a test-compound, and a second sub-population of the cells with a control-compound; and (c) comparing the amount of cell death between the first and second sub-populations of cells, where a difference in he amount of cell death between the first and second sub-populations of cells indicates that the test-compound is a compound that modulates SP-induced paraptosis. The invention is also directed to a method of modulating paraptotic cell death in a cell by contacting the cell with an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of ceramide, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), caspase-7, caspase-8, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole proprionic acid (AMPA), kainic acid and glutamic acid, wherein the effective amount of the compound induces paraptotic death of the cell.