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Worm points researchers in the right direction
Dr Andreas Russ, University Lecturer in the Biochemistry Department, is on a quest - to pin down the function of genes in the human genome which are potential targets for drug development.
The early stage worm embryo. Components of the cell division machinery are tagged with a fluorescent marker so that individual cells can be traced during development
His latest project, on a gene called latrophilin, has taken him on a journey that involves worm embryos, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and, most unexpectedly of all, the toxin from the Black Widow Spider.
Dr Russ and his group in the department, together with colleagues in Germany, Japan, and the States, have published their findings in Developmental Cell.1
Dr. Russ works on so-called 'orphan genes' - genes that have been identified by genome sequencing but for which there is little or no information about how they work and whether they might be used for pharmaceutical development.
Some of these orphan genes belong to a large gene family which codes for proteins known as GPCRs (G Protein-Coupled Receptors). GPCR proteins sit in the cell membrane and have external and internal portions. They sense molecules outside the cell and relay a signal to the cell's interior.
The family has become a focus for drug development because some of its members are known to be involved in disease. Around half of all drugs target a GPCR protein, including those widely used to treat conditions such as allergies, heart disease and psychiatric disorders.
Only a small fraction of the GPCR genes in the genome, though, are currently targeted by medicines. 'GPCR genes like latrophilin look like existing drug targets, but to predict their medical potential we have to understand their function first,' says Dr Russ.