Research Initiation Award: Redox Regulated Phosphorylation of BCAT by PKC

研究启动奖：PKC 氧化还原调节 BCAT 磷酸化

• 批准号: 2401097
• 负责人: Ming Dong
• 金额: $ 29.94万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2401097&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Initiation; Award; Redox; Regulated

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improve research and teaching at the home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The award to North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University has potential to increase the understanding of the cell membrane. The proposed study intends to train undergraduate and graduate students in the study of an enzyme that affects cell membrane function. The PI will actively engage and recruit underrepresented minority students into the project so that the students may engage in cutting edge research. This activity will enhance the technical and critical thinking skills of students.The goal of this proposal is to study the PKCα-BCATc interaction via biochemical and biophysical methods. Previously the PI showed that the membrane localization of cytosolic human Branched-Chain Aminotransferase (BCATc) regulates the autophagosome synthesis which further regulates Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and the membrane localization of BCATc is redox regulated by the Protein Kinase C α (PKCα) mediated phosphorylation. In this proposed work, the PI will identify the PKCα-mediated phosphorylation site in BCATc, express and purify the PKCα-phosphorylated BCATc, and solve the crystal structure of the phosphorylated BCATc to analyze the structural changes of BCATc triggered by the phosphorylation by PKCα. The work will analyze the structure of PKCα-BCATc complex via co-crystallization and other biophysical methods, e.g. SPRi to uncover the protein-protein interaction interface and further understand the mechanism of the phosphorylation process. The constructed model built from the project outcomes will enable the PI to understand the mechanism of how the redox-regulated phosphorylation of BCATc by PKCα regulates its conformational changes that further regulate its membrane localization. This is the first time that these interactions will be described at the molecular level, and this would be a significant contribution to the field and help advance the understanding of these two inter-related modes of BCATc regulation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

研究启动奖为历史悠久的黑人学院和大学的初级和中期教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新调整和重建现有的研究项目，预计该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和有效性，提高教师的研究能力和效率。北卡罗莱纳州农业技术州立大学的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验，该奖项有可能增加对细胞膜的理解。这项研究旨在培训本科生和研究生。的一个PI将积极吸引和招募代表性不足的少数族裔学生参与该项目，以便学生能够参与前沿研究，从而提高学生的技术和批判性思维能力。本提案的目标是。通过生物化学和生物物理方法研究 PKCα-BCATc 相互作用，此前 PI 表明胞质人支链转氨酶 (BCATc) 的膜定位调节自噬体合成，从而进一步调节自噬体合成。阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 中，BCATc 的膜定位受到蛋白激酶 C α (PKCα) 介导的磷酸化的氧化还原调节。在这项拟议的工作中，PI 将识别 BCATc 中 PKCα 介导的磷酸化位点，表达并纯化 PKCα。 -磷酸化BCATc，解析磷酸化BCATc的晶体结构，分析PKCα磷酸化引发的BCATc结构变化。该工作将通过共结晶和其他生物物理方法（例如 SPRi）分析 PKCα-BCATc 复合物的结构，以揭示蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用界面并进一步了解磷酸化过程的机制。 PI 了解 PKCα 氧化还原调节 BCATc 磷酸化如何调节其构象变化，从而进一步调节其膜定位的机制。这是第一次描述这些相互作用。分子水平，这将是对该领域的重大贡献，并有助于增进对 BCATc 监管这两种相互关联模式的理解。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持以及更广泛的影响审查标准。