New kids on the signaling block
Signal relay in eukaryotes enables proper response to chemical or physical signals received by the cell. We now understand how many of the canonical components of signaling pathways exert their functions, including the mode of activation of many kinases and the relationships among receptors, scaffolds and downstream effectors. This understanding has been key to the development of therapeutics targeting signaling components. Yet, from receptors to enzymes such as kinases, phosphatases, ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases, the signaling machinery still holds many mysteries.
In this session, we will focus on atypical signaling mechanisms, from the discovery of new catalysis within the kinome superfamily and noncanonical ubiquitination to the role of metals such as copper in signaling. We also discuss the emergence of pseudoenzymes: These allosteric signaling scaffolds are defined by their structural and sequence homology to canonical enzymes such as kinases and phosphatases, but they lack catalytic activity and remain relatively unexplored biologically and as potential drug targets.
We also will discuss how improvements in phosphoproteomics, genetic screens, and affinity and proximity proteomics permit us to globally assess specific aspects of signal transduction and shine new lights on poorly characterized enzymes, scaffolds and substrates.
Keywords: signal transduction, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, post-translational modification, pseudoenzymes, mass spectrometry, CRISPR screens, structural biology, interaction mapping
Who should attend: everyone who likes taking the road less traveled and those interested in good detective stories
Theme song: “Halo” by Beyonc茅
This session is powered by ligands and receptors.
Talks
- CRISPR sensors for signaling — St茅phane Angers, University of Toronto
- Tracing copper utilization by kinase signal transduction pathways: Implications for cancer cell processes — Donita Brady, University of Pennsylvania
- How do signaling pseudoenzymes work? — Patrick Eyers, University of Liverpool
- Proximity-dependent sensors for signaling — Anne-Claude Gingras, Mount Sinai Hospital
- Proteome-scale amino-acid resolution footprinting of protein-binding sites in the intrinsically disordered regions — Ylva Ivarsson, Uppsala University
- Structural basis for signaling by the HER3 pseudokinase — Natalia Jura, University of California, San Francisco
- Defining pseudoenzymes in glycosylation pathways — Natarajan Kannan, University of Georgia
- Cell signaling by protein tyrosine phosphatases — Hayley Sharpe, Babraham Institute, Cambridge
- Expanding the kinome — Vinnie Tagliabracci, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Pseudoenzyme classification — Janet Thornton, European Molecular Biology Laboratory
- A high-dimensional map of phosphorylation-dependent signaling in budding yeast — Judit Vill茅n, University of Washington
- Noncanonical ubiquitination — Satpal Virdee, University of Dundee
Learn more
Check out all ten thematic symposia planned for the 2022 ASBMB annual meeting:
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreFeatured jobs
from the
Get the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles
Bacteriophage protein could make queso fresco safer
Researchers characterized the structure and function of PlyP100, a bacteriophage protein that shows promise as a food-safe antimicrobial for preventing Listeria monocytogenes growth in fresh cheeses.
Building the blueprint to block HIV
Wesley Sundquist will present his work on the HIV capsid and revolutionary drug, Lenacapavir, at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, March 7鈥�10, in Maryland.
Gut microbes hijack cancer pathway in high-fat diets
Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research found that a high-fat diet increases ammonia-producing bacteria in the gut microbiome of mice, which in turn disrupts TGF-尾 signaling and promotes colorectal cancer.
Mapping fentanyl鈥檚 cellular footprint
Using a new imaging method, researchers at State University of New York at Buffalo traced fentanyl鈥檚 effects inside brain immune cells, revealing how the drug alters lipid droplets, pointing to new paths for addiction diagnostics.
Designing life鈥檚 building blocks with AI
Tanja Kortemme, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, will discuss her research using computational biology to engineer proteins at the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting.
Cholesterol as a novel biomarker for Fragile X syndrome
Researchers in Quebec identified lower levels of a brain cholesterol metabolite, 24-hydroxycholesterol, in patients with fragile X syndrome, a finding that could provide a simple blood-based biomarker for understanding and managing the condition.