termsTerm
Phosphorylation
aka phosphorylated, phosphorylates, phosphate group, phosphate groups, dephosphorylation, phospho-
Attaching a small phosphate tag to a protein, which changes its shape and switches it on or off. It is the cell's main way of passing signals from one protein to the next.
Kinases add phosphates and phosphatases remove them, so the balance of the two determines whether a signal is flowing. In a growth pathway, each protein is phosphorylated by the one above it and then phosphorylates the one below, which is why a single stuck kinase can light up the entire chain. Detecting phosphorylated proteins (phospho-ERK, phospho-AKT) in tumour tissue is a direct readout of whether a pathway is active and whether a drug has actually switched it off.
Category
Biology basics