SMER28

SMER28 is a small molecule modulator of mammalian autophagy. Enhances A53T alpha-synuclein clearance in PC-12 cells independent of rapamycin treatment and appears to act independent of the mTOR pathway, but combined treatment with saturating rapamycin concentration enhances the effect of either compound alone on A53T alpha-synuclein clearance. SMER28 also augments the cytostatic effects of Rapamycin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and acts as an autophagy stimulator in mammalian cultures in vitro. Although SMER28 and Rapamycin do exhibit additive effects on the clearance of cellular autophagy substrates, SMER28 functions independently of Rapamycin by presumably acting on celluar target(s) downstream of the Rapamycin/FKBP12 target, mTOR.