On page 877, Shimizu et al. describe a simplified technology for rapidly identifying drug receptors. The system employs beads coated with a novel latex polymer and chemically active epoxy group to which drugs can be easily attached by simple mixing. The authors used the beads to purify a protein known to bind to the immunosuppressive drug FK506, and go on to use the method to isolate the receptor of an anti-inflammatory drug that targets nuclear factor (NF)-κB—the first in a new class of receptors for this type of drug. The superior performance of the beads as compared with conventional agarose suggests that the approach could be useful in parallel small-scale purification of drug receptors.
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DeWitt, N. Drug receptor identification. Nat Biotechnol 18, 815 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/78391
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/78391