Screen employing fluorescence anisotropy to identify compounds with affinity for nucleic acids

摘要

The present invention provides methods for screening for bioactive compounds, in particular those that bind to RNA sequences involved in the pathogenesis of disease or in regulation of a physiological function. The methods involve assessing the stability and/or the conformation of an RNA target in the presence and absence of test ligands, and identifying as a ligand any test ligand that causes a measurable change in target RNA stability and/or conformation. In a preferred embodiment, the effect of a ligand on target RNA stability and/or conformation is assessed by measuring the fluorescence polarization of a fluorescently labeled probe.