Rebecca Scheck of Tufts University will deliver a seminar entitled, "New Chemical Strategies to Unravel Elusive Post-Translational Modifications." Co-hosted by Bobby Arora and Kent Kirshenbaum.
Zoom Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/91967106534?pwd=SlVzS24wR3BoWXlSczlzbitYWjhSUT09
For more information about Rebecca Scheck, click here.
Abstract: Research in the Scheck laboratory focuses on understanding protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) that have been difficult to study using traditional tools. For instance, glycation is a PTM that occurs spontaneously and without an enzyme, yet it is known to occur selectively at certain sites on certain proteins. We have uncovered the molecular features that govern selective glycation, and we are now using this knowledge to develop new methods that predictably modulate glycation outcomes in living cells. This approach is uniquely suited to explore the biology of glycation by enabling the rigorous study of glycation as a functional PTM. In a second project, we focus on ubiquitination, a PTM that occurs through a sequential multi-enzyme cascade. We have engineered a system that can trace specific ubiquitination events to specific enzymes within this multi-enzyme path. Fully dissecting the interactions that guide ubiquitin to individual target proteins will provide critical insight into ubiquitin signaling and will reveal new potential therapeutic targets. The Scheck lab is using these new chemical tools to address longstanding questions about the role of these vital, yet elusive, PTMs in diabetes, cancer, inflammation, and age-related diseases.