Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics

PC12 cells exit the mitotic cycle and differentiate as sympathetic neurons in culture when treated with the founding molecule of the neurotrophin family, nerve growth factor.

Protein methylation; protein phosphorylation; signal transduction; neuronal differentiation and development

Protein arginine methylation is a rapidly growing field of biomedical research that holds great promise for extending our understanding of developmental and pathological processes. Less than ten years ago, fewer than two dozen proteins were verified to contain methylarginine. Currently, however, hundreds of methylarginine proteins have been detected and many have been confirmed by mass spectrometry and other proteomic and molecular techniques. Several of these proteins are products of disease genes or are implicated in disease processes by recent experimental or clinical observations. The long range goals of my research are (1) to re-examine the role of protein arginine methylation within the context of cell growth and differentiation and (2) to critically examine the implications of recent advances in protein methylarginine detection and function in relation to human disease.

Rat; mouse.

• MeCP2
• BDNF
• Peripherin
• Protein Arginine Methyltransferases

Neurodevelopmental diseases; Autoimmune disorders; Viral disease; Cancer

• Metabolic radiolabeling of phosphoproteins and methylproteins; Methyltransferase assays
• Chromatin immunoprecipitation

• Recombinant methyltransferases
• Methylarginine-specific antisera

Variety of mammalian cell lines, particularly PC 12 cells including variant lines exhibiting increased or diminished NGF responsiveness; hippocampal progenitor cell line.

Neurodevelopmental diseases; Autoimmune disorders; Viral disease; Cancer.

http://www.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/89014482/PDFSTART
http://www.jcb.org/cgi/reprint/138/5/1089