Enzo Biochem to release a new catalog dealing with epigenetics and chromatin modification

Oct 15 2009

Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ) today said that its Life Sciences subsidiary will release a new catalog dealing with “Epigenetics & Chromatin Modification” at the Society for Neuroscience’s, Neuroscience 2009 conference, beginning October 17, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois. The catalog provides a portfolio of tools relating to histone- and DNA-modifying enzymes, including enzymes for lysine acetylation/deacetylation (HATs, HDACs and sirtuins), protein methylation/demethylation, DNA methylation and telomerases. Enzo Life Sciences will also introduce new enzyme drug discovery kits for histone deacetylases (HDACs) and lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), emerging targets for cancer and other diseases.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes that remove acetyl groups from lysines of histones and other non-histone proteins, and figure prominently in chromatin modifications that lead to changes in gene expression. The Fluor de Lys™-Green HDAC assay is a new and improved product for assaying HDAC activity from cell extracts or purified enzymes. The proprietary new fluorescent probe in the kit contains a longer wavelength excitation/emission profile than the standard Fluor de Lys™ substrate, avoiding potential interference from the autofluorescence of cell constituents and small molecule compounds. The convenient, two-step homogeneous procedure for measuring HDAC activity provided by the kit is applicable to high throughput screening of potential HDAC inhibitors.

Lysine-specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1) catalyzes demethylation of mono- and dimethylated lysines in histones, p53 and DNMT1. There is increasing evidence of LSD1’s importance in epigenetic and transcriptional regulation and of its roles in processes ranging from embryogenesis to carcinogenesis. The LSD1 fluorometric drug discovery kit provides a convenient assay of LSD1 activity and for screening of LSD1 inhibitors. The assay couples oxidative demethylation of a peptide substrate with peroxidation of Enzo’s CELLestial^TM Red Substrate to produce a red fluorescent signal that can be monitored continuously at 590nm.

"It is especially appropriate for us to showcase our broad range of epigenetic modulators at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, given recent discoveries that epigenetic changes related to chromatin remodeling in the brain are linked to a variety of psychiatric conditions including anxiety, alcohol addiction and suicidal tendencies,” commented Wayne Patton, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Enzo Life Sciences. “Chemical modification of histones change the manner that DNA and histones associate with one another in chromatin and this in turn impacts transcriptional activity. Enzo Life Sciences’ new HDAC and LSD1 assays provide sensitive and convenient approaches for detecting these important epigenetic enzymatic activities.”