Small molecules driving myotube fission

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Duckmanton et al. [1] have rigorously studied myotube fragmentation, or "cellularization," triggered by microtubule-ing a specific binding profile from a library of potential inhibitors also is conceivable. The future extension of three-hybrid technology to mammalian cells will expand the scope of compounds that can be used, increase the potential for competition assays, as well as provide a more direct relationship to phenotypic data from mammalian cells. As such powerful tools become increasingly available, it no longer will be sufficient to focus on a small number of proteins in evaluating inhibitor selectivity. Chemical tools will have to meet a higher standard of characterization, and we all may have to be more circumspect in our use of the word "selective."