A Screening Method for Potential Anti-pancreatic Cancer Candidate Compounds Based on Hsp90-Cdc37 Interaction Model in vitro

The Hsp90/Cdc37 (heat shock protein 90; cell division cycle 37) interaction is a promising target for anti-cancer candidate drug development. The purpose of this research is to establish a screening method for anti-cancer candidate compounds based on the Hsp90/Cdc37 interaction model in vitro by Split Renilla luciferase protein fragment-assisted complementation bioluminescence technology. The parameters influencing the protein binding in this model were optimized, including protein concentration, reaction time, and substrate concentration. The optimal condition was as follows: protein concentration 2 mu M, the ratio of Hsp90 and Cdc37 1:1, reaction time 10 min, and the GLO (R) substrate (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) dilution 1:100. The screening model was further validated by some known compounds blocking the Hsp90/Cdc37 interactions. It was proved that this method is rapid and sensitive and could be used for screening of anti-pancreatic cancer candidate compounds.