Patent ID: 8512958
Filing Date: 2013-08-20
Classification: A61P,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying an agent that reduces neurotoxic apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) induced impairment of mitochondria, the method comprising: contacting a neuronal cell with a test agent, wherein the neuronal cell has been genetically modified with an expression vector that comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a toxic apoE4 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to amino acids 1-272 of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and lacking amino acids 273-299 of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein said nucleotide sequence is operably linked to a promoter functional in a neuronal cell, and wherein the neuronal cell comprises in a mitochondrion a fluorescent polypeptide or a fluorescent dye that provides for visualization of the mitochondrion; and determining the effect, if any, of the test agent on one or more of the number of mitochondria in a dendrite, the size of mitochondria, the membrane potential of mitochondria, and mitochondrial motility, and wherein an increase in the number of mitochondria in a dendrite, the size of mitochondria, the membrane potential of mitochondria, or mitochondrial motility, indicates that the test agent reduces neurotoxic apoE4-induced impairment of mitochondria.