Utilization of MorphoBase, an encyclopedia of cell morphology database, for bioprobe- and drug-discovery
Tumor cells often dynamically and specifically change shape depending on the mode of action of a treated drug, and experienced cell biologists can judge the presumed molecular target of a test compound by simple observation of typical morphological changes. This prompted us to accumulate information on morphological changes induced by various compounds with known mechanisms, and construct a database linking morphology to drug function, named “MorphoBase.” Recently, we have developed a high-content imaging method and a phenotype profiling system based on statistical analyses of multiparametric phenotype responses, to identify the molecular targets of several bioprobes. Now we are going to determine the mode of action of compounds of interest, and explore small drug-like compounds with unknown mechanism of action from microbial sources and a chemical library NPDepo with the aid of MorphoBase.