Life Science Seminar

 

▶ Subject : Reconstruction of cell signaling circuits using synthetic scaffold proteins

▶ Speaker : Sang-Hyun Park(Department of Biological Sciences and the Research Center for Functional Cellulomics, Seoul National University)

▶ Date : 4:00PM/ Sep. 16(Fri)/2011

▶ Place : Aditorium(1F), Postech Biotech Center

 

*Abstract
Scaffold proteins are known to play a critical role in many signaling pathways including mitogen-activated protein (MAPK) kinase cascades. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mating and high-osmolarity MAPK pathways require scaffold proteins Ste5 and Pbs2, respectively. These scaffolds are known to be essential for signaling and to function as a molecular switch controlled by external cues such as pheromone and osmotic shock. It has been hypothesized that the assembly of protein complexes is crucial for cellular signaling. To validate the hypothesis, we have attempted to design novel synthetic scaffolds composed of heterologous PDZ domains with binding specificity toward designated target kinases in the cascade. Should the PDZ-based artificial scaffold recruit target kinases into a functional signaling complex, the MAPK cascade would be rewired to recapitulate proper signaling responses, which would otherwise be mediated by native scaffolds. Synthetic scaffolds composed of multimeric PDZ domains were able to assemble the member kinases into a protein complex and successfully mediated the mating signaling in the absence of wild-type scaffold, Ste5. Rewiring of MAPK signaling using synthetic scaffolds would help to understand the mechanism of signaling plasticity and would allow for shunting of flow of signaling information among different signaling cascades. Furthermore, engineering of signaling circuits using synthetic scaffolds should provide the platform for artificial control of signaling information.

☎ Inquiry : Yong Song Gho (279-2345)