A METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING CONSTITUTIVELY ACTIVE MUTANTS OF MITOGEN ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASES (MAPK) AND USES THEREOF

摘要

The present invention relates to a method of screening for constitutively active mutants of a desired eukaryotic MAPK pathway member of a MAPK pathway member, comprising the steps of (a) providing a mutant yeast strain devoid o f an upstream kinase; (b) providing a DNA library of different mutants of a mutagenized gene coding for the desired MAPK pathway member; (c) introducing said library into said yeast strain under conditions suitable for activation of the yeast MAPK pathway; (d) detecting an end-point indication for activation of the yeast pathway; and (e) optionally isolating said constitutively activated mutant from selected rescued clones. The invention further relates to isolated constitutively active mutants of the MAPK pathwa y member, and their various uses particularly, in a method of screening for substances which are inhibitors of a MAPK pathway, and in drug design.