Methods relating to muscle selective calcineurin interacting protein (MCIP)
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to the polypeptides known as muscle calcineurin interacting proteins (MCIPs). These molecules binding to calcineurin and, in so doing, modulate its functions, which includes phosphate removal as part of a pathway coupling Ca 2+ to cellular responses in muscle. MCIPs form a physical complex with the catalytic subunit of calcineurin, and increased levels of MCIPs correspond to a reduced ability of calcineurin to stimulate transcription of certain target genes. Methods to exploit these observation are provided and include screening for modulators of MCIP expression and binding to calcineurin, methods of diagnosis of MCIP defects, and methods for treating cardiomyopathies, including cardiac hypertrophy.
1. A method of modulating muscle cell growth in striated muscle cells in a human subject comprising:
(a) identifying a human subject in need of striated muscle cell growth modulation;
(b) assaying a small molecule for its ability to modulate Muscle Selective Calcineurin Interacting Protein (MCIP1) expression; and
(c) administering said small molecule which is shown to modulate MCIP1 expression in step (b) to said human subject,
whereby administration of said small molecule results in modulation of striated muscle cell growth by modulating said MCIP1 expression in said human subject.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said small molecule is an agonist of muscle cell growth.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said small molecule is an antagonist of muscle cell growth.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering to said human subject a pharmaceutical agent used to treat cardiac disease.