MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY AGAINST 2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE, A PUTATIVE INTRACELLULAR MESSENGER

2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE (DCYT) IS HYPOTHESIZED TO ACT AS AN INTRACELLULAR MESSENGER OF TROPHIC FACTOR SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND A MEDIATOR OF NEURONAL DEATH BY A MECHANISMTHAT DOES NOT INVOLVE DNA SYNTHESIS OR REPAIR. THE LONG TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO DETERMINE THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ROLE OF DCYT IN MENTAL ILLNESS AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS PHASE I PROJECT WILL BETO RAISE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY AGAINST DCYT. PHASE I WILL RESULT IN THE PRODUCTION OF A DCYT-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY AND INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ANTIBODY IN TISSUE CULTURE AS A TOOL TO QUANTITATE DCYT IN NEURONS. THE MONOCLONAL WILL BE FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN PHASE II FOR ITS POTENTIAL AS A DIAGNOSTIC IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS (ALZHEIMER'S;PARKINSON'S; RETINAL DEGENERATION) AND MENTAL ILLNESS (AFFECTIVE DISORDERS; SCHIZOPHRENIA), AS A RESEARCH TOOL FORTHE STUDY OF NEURONAL FUNCTION, AND AS AN ASSAY TO SCREEN FOR THERAPEUTIC AGENTS THAT CAN PREVENT NEURAL DEGENERATION. THIS ANTIBODY WILL ENABLE THE QUANTITATION AND HELP DEFINE THE BIOLOGY OF A NOVEL INTRACELLULAR MEDIATOR (DCYT) IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND COULD LEAD TO THEDEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS THAT PREVENT NEURAL DEATH AND ENHANCE NEURAL FUNCTION.