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Calcineurin: From Activation To Inhibition, Erik C. Cook
Calcineurin: From Activation To Inhibition, Erik C. Cook
Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
Calcineurin is a Ser/Thr phosphatase whose function is implicated in critical physiological processes such as immune system activation, fetal heart development, and long-term depression in neurons. Calcineurin has been implicated in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and cardiac hypertrophy. It is not well understood how calcineurin is activated on a molecular level by Ca2+ and its activating protein calmodulin. Previous data from our lab show that calmodulin interaction induces the folding of the intrinsically disordered regulatory domain of calcineurin in two discrete and distant regions into α-helical conformations and that this folding is critical for complete activation of calcineurin. …
Molecular Mechanisms Of Neuropilin-Ligand Binding, Matthew W. Parker
Molecular Mechanisms Of Neuropilin-Ligand Binding, Matthew W. Parker
Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
Neuropilin (Nrp) is an essential cell surface receptor with dual functionality in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The first identified Nrp-ligand family was the Semaphorin-3 (Sema3) family of axon repulsion molecules. Subsequently, Nrp was found to serve as a receptor for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of pro-angiogenic cytokines. In addition to its physiological role, VEGF signaling via Nrp directly contributes to cancer stemness, growth, and metastasis. Thus, the Nrp/VEGF signaling axis is a promising anti-cancer therapeutic target. Interestingly, it has recently been shown that Sema3 and VEGF are functionally opposed to one another, with Sema3 possessing potent …
The Disordered Regulation Of Calcineurin: How Calmodulin-Induced Regulatory Domain Structural Changes Lead To The Activation Of Calcineurin, Victoria B. Dunlap
The Disordered Regulation Of Calcineurin: How Calmodulin-Induced Regulatory Domain Structural Changes Lead To The Activation Of Calcineurin, Victoria B. Dunlap
Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
Calcineurin (CaN) is a highly regulated Ser/Thr protein phosphatase that plays critical roles in learning and memory, cardiac development and function, and immune system activation. Alterations in CaN regulation contribute to multiple disease states such as Down syndrome, cardiac hypertrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, and autoimmune disease. In addition, CaN is the target of the immunosuppressant drugs FK506 and cyclosporin A. Despite its importance, CaN regulation is not well understood on a molecular level. Full CaN activation requires binding of calcium-loaded calmodulin (CaM), however little is known about how CaM binding releases CaN’s autoinhibitory domain from the active site. Previous work has …