New method developed to relocate misplaced proteins in cells
Originally pyblished by Stanford University , on September 21, 2024 Cells before and after TRAMs were introduced. TRAMs link a shuttle protein (red), and a target protein (green). Without the TRAM, the target protein resides in the nucleus (left), and upon TRAM treatment, the target protein is pulled into the cytoplasm by the shuttle protein (right). Credit: Steven Banik and Christine Ng Cells are highly controlled spaces that rely on every protein being in the right place . Many diseases , including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders, are associated with misplaced proteins . In some cancers , for instance, a protein that normally stands watch over DNA replicating in the nucleus is sent far from the DNA it is meant to monitor, allowing cancers to grow. Steven Banik, assistant professor of chemistry in the School of Humanities and Sciences and institute scholar at Sarafan ChEM-H at Stanford University , and his lab have developed a new method to help force misplaced prote