Patent ID: 7618793

Claim:
A method of identifying an agent for decreasing cellular toxicity associated with huntingtin polypeptide, comprising: contacting a first yeast cell with a candidate agent, wherein the first cell expresses (i) a huntingtin polypeptide comprising an expanded polyQ repeat with at least 103 consecutive glutamine residues and (ii) a wild-type BNA4 gene, wherein expression of the huntingtin polypeptide is toxic to the cell; contacting a second yeast cell with the candidate agent, wherein the second cell expresses the huntingtin polypeptide and does not express the wild-type BNA4 gene; and determining for the first and second cells the level of cell viability relative to a cell that does not express the huntingtin polypeptide and formation of inclusion bodies in the cell, whereby if the first cell (a) exhibits a decrease of cell viability or formation of inclusion bodies relative to a control cell that has not been contacted with the candidate agent and (b) does not exhibit a decrease of cell viability or formation of inclusion bodies relative to the second cell, the agent is identified as an agent for decreasing cellular toxicity associated with huntingtin polypeptide.