Target discovery using the yeast two-hybrid system

A major goal of molecular biology is to understand protein interactions and how interaction networks form the functional circuitry of cells. This goal is also relevant to drug development, as molecular target discovery and validation require an understanding of the function and disease relevance of proteins. One of the best approaches available to achieve this goal is the yeast two-hybrid system and its variants. This powerful tool can be used not only to identify and characterize individual drug targets, but also to dissect whole pathways and map protein interactions on a proteomic scale.