The Technology: Dr. Fernando Cabral at the University of
Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has developed a series of
mutant cell lines with altered sensitivity to antimitotic drugs. Paclitaxel is a
drug that binds to polymerized tubulin and inhibits microtubule disassembly. One
of the major limitations in using these drugs, however, is the emergence of drug
resistant tumor cells. The inventor has found that some tubulin isotypes alter
sensitivity to antimitotic drugs by perturbing microtubule assembly, while
others have little effect on assembly but increase the binding of specific
drugs.
Publications:
• Wang, Y., and
Cabral, F (2005). Paclitaxel resistance in cells with reduced β-tubulin.
Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1744, 245-255.
• Kamath, K., Wilson. L.,
Cabral, F., and Jordan, M.A. (2005). βIII-tubulin induces paclitaxel resistance
in association with reduced effects on microtubule dynamic instability. J.
Biol. Chem. 280, 12902-12907.
• Wang, Y., Win, S., Blade, K., Cooper,
G., Menick, D.R., and Cabral, F. (2006). Mutations at Leucine 215 of β-tubulin
affect paclitaxel sensitivity by two distinct mechanisms. Biochemistry,
45, 185 - 194.
UTHealth Ref. No.:
2007-0018
Inventors: Cabral
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