The present invention relates to the sialyltransferase ST3GAL6 for use as a biomarker for multiple myeloma, and especially as a marker for myelomas with inferior survival rates. The inventors have shown that glycosylation gene expression is dysregulated in Multiple Myeloma and that overexpression of the sialyltransferase ST3GAL6 is associated with inferior survival rates in patients.

The present invention relates to the sialyltransferase ST3GAL6 for use as a biomarker for multiple myeloma, and especially as a marker for myelomas with inferior survival rates. The inventors have shown that glycosylation gene expression is dysregulated in Multiple Myeloma and that overexpression of the sialyltransferase ST3GAL6 is associated with inferior survival rates in patients.

The present invention includes a method of inhibiting or reducing mTOR signaling or inhibition of indoleamine dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) in a subject with a proliferative disease, which comprises administering to the subject having or suspected to have the proliferative disease, a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of Formula I:

##STR00001##

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof.

The instant invention provides workflows for the design and characterization of mechanism-based sirtuin modulating compounds, including new or improved sirtuin activating compounds. Workflows for the design of mechanism-based sirtuin activating compounds are provided, based on conditions that must be satisfied by activators if they are to exploit the common catalytic mechanism of all sirtuin enzymes and hence increase catalytic efficiency for any sirtuin and any substrate.

The instant invention provides workflows for the design and characterization of mechanism-based sirtuin modulating compounds, including new or improved sirtuin activating compounds. Workflows for the design of mechanism-based sirtuin activating compounds are provided, based on conditions that must be satisfied by activators if they are to exploit the common catalytic mechanism of all sirtuin enzymes and hence increase catalytic efficiency for any sirtuin and any substrate.

The instant invention provides workflows for the design and characterization of mechanism-based sirtuin modulating compounds, including new or improved sirtuin activating compounds. Workflows for the design of mechanism-based sirtuin activating compounds are provided, based on conditions that must be satisfied by activators if they are to exploit the common catalytic mechanism of all sirtuin enzymes and hence increase catalytic efficiency for any sirtuin and any substrate.

Methods and kits for quantifying adenosine-containing molecules within an aqueous composition. Particularly, the methods utilize a competitive fluorescence-polarization and FRET-based assays that directly measure the production of adenosine-containing compounds, particularly S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) compounds produced by MTases. The generation of AdoHcy can be quantified by displacing a novel fluorescent probe comprising a 5-carboxytetramethylrhodamine fluorophore covalently bound to an adenosine scaffold from a catalytically inert 5-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTAN) variant. One or more of the reaction materials can be pre-loaded into wells within multi-well reaction plates as a kit, which can be used to determine the enzymatic activity of MTases or conduct drug screening for potential inhibitors in a high-throughput format. Additionally, the developed assay is applicable to S-adenosyl methionine-dependent and adenosine triphosphate-dependent enzymes by detecting adenosine and various adenosine-containing molecules including 5-methylthioadenosine, adenosine monophosphate and adenosine diphosphate produced during the course of a chemical reaction.

Described herein are devices and methods for extracting cellular material from living cells and then depositing them into to a receptacle in a nanoliter scale. Using a nanopipette integrated into a scanning ion conductance microscope (SICM), extraction of mitochondrial DNA from human BJ fibroblasts and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) transcripts from HeLa/GFP cells was achieved with minimal disruption to the cellular milieu and without chemical treatment prior to obtaining the isolated sample. Success of the extraction was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and PCR analysis of the extracted material. The method and apparatus may be applied to many different cell types and intracellular targets, allowing not only single cell analysis, but single subcellular compartment analysis of materials extracted in their native state.

Congenital abnormalities of the kidney or the urinary tract (CAKUT) are the most common cause of pediatric kidney failure. These disorders are highly heterogenous, and their etiology is poorly understood. Dual serine/threonine and tyrosine protein kinase (DSTYK) mutations were detected in 2.2% of patients with congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, suggesting that DSTYK is a major determinant of human urinary development, downstream of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. Methods and kits are provided for identifying and treating subjects at greater risk of developing CAKUT based on the presence of DSTYK mutations. Techniques include obtaining a biological sample from a subject and determining if the biological sample indicates a mutation of a gene for DSTYK. If it is determined that the biological sample indicates the mutation of the gene for DSTYK, then it is determined that the subject has or is at risk of developing CAKUT.

The instant invention provides workflows for the design and characterization of mechanism-based sirtuin modulating compounds, including new or improved sirtuin activating compounds. Workflows for the design of mechanism-based sirtuin activating compounds are provided, based on conditions that must be satisfied by activators if they are to exploit the common catalytic mechanism of all sirtuin enzymes and hence increase catalytic efficiency for any sirtuin and any substrate.