Polynucletides that control delta-6 desaturase genes and methods for identifying compounds for modulating delta-6 desaturase

摘要

The present invention relates to polynucleotides that control desaturase genes and to drug screening assays for identifying pharmaceutially active compounds for use in the treatment of diseases involving abnormal lipid metabolism including diabetic neuropathy, by utilizing fatty acid desaturase enzymes and the genes which encode them as targets for intervention. The drug screening method identifies nucleotides, proteins, compounds and/or other pharmacological agents, which effectively modulate the activity of desaturase enzymes or regulate the level of expression of the desaturase genes.