PROJECT #16449 RESEARCH FOR CANCER
FOLDING PERFORMANCE PROFILE

PROJECT SUMMARY

This project seeks to understand G protein inhibition in the treatment of uveal melanoma and other G protein related diseases. G proteins are molecular switches regulate biological functions like sight, smell, and memory. This pivotal role makes G proteins essential players in physiology and pathophysiology. However, when G proteins mutate, they result in a variety of diseases from cancer to heart disease. For example, a single mutation in the Gq protein is known to cause uveal melanoma, a cancer in the iris of our eyes that remains largely untreatable short of removing the eye.

This project is simulating one of the G protein family isoforms, GPA1, found in Arabidopsis thaliana. GPA1 is distinct from the other G proteins in our body, in that it is "switch-like" behavior is not regulated by membrane receptors (GPCRs). While other projects are simulating human G proteins to understand their similarities and differences, studying GPA1 provides an "extreme" example of a G protein most dissimilar from the rest. Understanding GPA1 relative to other G proteins has implications in knowing G protein evolution and G protein disease pathology. 

PROJECT INFO

Manager(s): Sukrit Singh

Institution: Washington University in St. Louis

PROJECT WORK UNIT SUMMARY

Atoms: 66,723

Core: GRO_A7

Status: Public