Dr. Michael Downey University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine New functions and regulation for inorganic polyphosphates across evolution Polyphosphates (polyP) are long chains of inorganic phosphates that are found in virtually all cells on earth. Ranging from 3 to thousands of residues in length, these chains have been implicated in diverse functions, ranging from protein folding and virulence in bacteria to cell signalling and blood clotting in higher eukaryotes. How does such a simple molecule participate is such varied functions? I will present our work suggesting that polyP functions, at least in part, via lysine polyphosphorylation. This appears to be a non-enzymatic modification wherein long chains of polyP are thought to be covalently attached to lysine residues of target proteins in bacteria, yeast, and human cells. I will also present evidence that eukaryotic cells tightly regulate polyP subcellular localization, which has important implications for the control of polyphosphorylation and other aspects of polyP biology.
Dr. Downey's CV is viewable here Comments are closed.
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