cell chemical biology

Viewing posts tagged cell chemical biology

Collaboration with Burkard Lab Explores Polo-like Kinase Substrates

Johnson et al (2020) explore chemically controlling substrates through toggling.

Polo-like kinase 1 has hundreds of substrates and multiple functions that operate within the ∼60 min of mitosis. This paper describes a chemical-genetic system that allows particular substrates to be “toggled” into or out of chemical control using engineered phosphoacceptor selectivity. Kif2b, a known substrate of Plk1 that regulates chromosome alignment was evaluated. Toggling Ser to Thr on Kif2b places these phosphorylation sites under reversible chemical control. Thus, it is demonstrated the ability to chemically control a single substrate by a genetic Ser/Thr toggle.

Coon/Wells Collaboration Captures Attention of Steve Michnick

We are excited to report that a recent collaborative project between the Coon and Wells groups has captured the attention of Steve Michnick, the father of protein complementation assays. Our collaborative article was recently published in Cell Chemical Biology. In Michnick’s review, More than One Way to Skin a Catalyst, he asserts that our novel technique may provide a general way to probe the wiring of signal transduction networks. This research importantly helps to inform our understanding of regulatory network problems and can offer “deeper insight into how living cells compute their responses to their environment and determine their fate.”