Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have “rationally rewired” some of the cell’s smallest components to create proteins that can be switched on or off by command. These “protein switches” can be used to interrogate the inner workings of each cell, helping scientists uncover the molecular mechanisms of human health and disease. In the first application of this approach, the UNC researchers showed how a protein called Src kinase influences the way cells extend and move, a previously unknown role that is consistent with the protein’s ties to tumor progression and metastasis. Read more here.
Study mentioned: Dagliyan O, et al. Rational design of a ligand-controlled protein conformational switch. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 8. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23569285
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