29/09/11 - DRACO-related research tools

Novel technology as broad spectrum antiviral therapeutic

A significant threat is posed by clinical and NIAID priority viruses.
Although antiviral drugs are available, these treatments are relatively few and virus-specific. Recently, Todd Rider's team at MIT developed a novel technology that holds great promise as a broad spectrum antiviral therapeutic.¹

Using a chimeric protein called DRACO, Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizer, Rider et al. targeted a wide variety of primary cells and cell lines infected with ssRNA, dsRNA, and dsDNA viruses.¹ DRACO acts on cells containing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a common RNA intermediate during viral lifecycles that is absent in healthy cells, leaving uninfected cells unharmed.¹

Three domains allow DRACO to pass through the cellular membrane and induce apoptosis in infected cells:

1. Protein transduction domain (PTD): allows for cellular update.
2. Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding domain: binds and oligomerizes DRACO on viral dsRNA.
3. Apoptosis induction domain: cross-linking of this domain, resulting from oligomerization, activates the apoptosis pathway in infected cells.

tebu-bio offers a broad range of DRACO-related research tools, including:

• Performance-tested human primary cells and animal primary cells
• Protein transduction antibodies such as Anti-Polyarginine and Anti-TAT
• Apoptosis pathway antibodies, including PKR, phospho-PKR, FADD, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Pro-Caspase-9 , and Apaf-1 antibodies.

^1. Rider et al.: PLoS ONE, 6:e22572, 2011.