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 偷拍偷窥 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

Scientists find unexpected correlation between age and HDL-C levels
In a 30-year multicenter study, researchers determined what factors predict HDL-C concentration. In their analysis, they found that HDL-C levels grew with increasing age and physical activity.

Butter, olive oil, coconut oil 鈥� what to choose?
Depending on the chain length and origin of the fat, regular fat consumption changes the specific makeup of fats in bloodstream and affect mild to severe cholesterol patterns. Read about this recent Journal of Lipid Research study.

Computational tool helps scientists create novel bug sprays
Rapid discovery of mosquito repellent compounds is enabled through a novel screening platform that combines both computational modeling and functional screening.

Meet Lan Huang
偷拍偷窥 & Cellular Proteomics associate editor uses crosslinking mass spec to study protein鈥損rotein interactions to find novel therapeutics.

Influenza gets help from gum disease bacteria
Scientists discover that a protease from Porphyromonas gingivalis enhances viral spread. Read more about this recent Journal of Biological Chemistry paper.

How bacteria fight back against promising antimicrobial peptide
Researchers find a mutation in E. coli that reduces its susceptibility to a potential novel antibiotic. Read more about this recent Journal of Biological Chemistry paper.