Creative BioMart to Present at
                        BIO-Europe Spring Creative BioMart to Present at AACR Annual Meeting|Apr. 5-10, 2024|Booth #2953

Phosphatases and Regulators

Phosphatases and Regulators Background

About Phosphatases and Regulators

Phosphatase is an enzyme that removes a phosphate group from its substrate by hydrolyzing phosphoric acid monoesters into a phosphate ion and a molecule with a free hydroxyl group. This action is directly opposite to that of phosphorylases and kinases, which attach phosphate groups to their substrates by using energetic molecules like ATP. A common phosphatase in many organisms is alkaline phosphatase. Another large group of proteins is present in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. The other group of phosphatase is collectively called as protein phosphatase, which removes a phosphate group from the phosphorylated amino acid residue of the substrate protein. Protein phosphorylation is a common posttranslational modification of protein catalyzed by protein kinases, and protein phosphatases reverse the effect.

Protein phosphorylation can be found on tyrosine, serine, and threonine residues. Depending on which phosphatase is chosen, phosphates can be removed from all of these residues or a subset thereof. In particular, phosphatases have been characterized as having activity toward serine and threonine residues, or toward tyrosine residues. Protein phosphorylation mediates signal transduction during development, transcription, immune response, metabolism, apoptosis, and cell differentiation.

The serine/threonine protein phosphatase or protein phosphatase 2, also known as PP2A or PP2, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PPP2CA. The PP2A heterotrimeric protein phosphatase is a ubiquitous and conserved serine/threonine phosphatase with broad substrate specificity and diverse cellular functions. Among the targets of PP2A are proteins of oncogenic signaling cascades, such as Raf, MEK, and AKT.

Lymphocyte activation must be tightly regulated to ensure sufficient immunity to pathogens and prevent autoimmunity. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) serve critical roles in this regulation by controlling the functions of key receptors and intracellular signaling molecules in lymphocytes.

Biological Functions of Phosphatases

Phosphatases are the opposite of phosphorylation by kinases or phosphatases. Phosphorylation can either activate or inactivate an enzyme (e.g., kinase signaling pathways) or it can allow a protein-protein interaction to occur (e.g., SH3 structural domains). Thus, phosphatases are required for the control of phosphorylation by many signaling pathways. It is worth noting that phosphorylation or dephosphorylation does not necessarily correspond to enzyme activation or inhibition and that some enzymes have multiple phosphorylation sites involved in the regulation of activation or inhibition. For example, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) has multiple specific amino acid residues that can be phosphorylated, and activation or inhibition corresponds to the phosphorylation of different residues. Phosphate is important for signaling because it regulates the actions of the proteins to which it binds. However, removing phosphates is an inverse action (if phosphorylation is activating, dephosphorylation is inhibiting), and it is here that phosphatases play an important role.

Phosphatases and Regulators - Creative BioMart

Functions of Phospho-Serine / Phospho-Threonine Binding Proteins

The research significance of phosphatases and regulators is that they play an important role in cell metabolism, signaling, gene regulation, and so on. An in-depth study of phosphatases and regulators will help us better understand the mechanisms of these biological processes and provide new ideas for disease treatment and drug development.

  • Cell Metabolism

Many metabolic pathways in the cell require the participation of phosphatases, such as glycogen synthesis and catabolism, lipid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and so on. Phosphatase is also involved in the process of ATP synthesis and hydrolysis, which is an important part of intracellular energy metabolism.

  • Signaling

Receptor proteins on the cell surface bind to external signaling molecules, thereby activating internal signaling pathways. Some of the key enzymes in these pathways are phosphatases, which can regulate the activity of signaling pathways by hydrolyzing phosphate bonds. For example, phosphatases are a class of phosphatases that can remove phosphorylation modifications from proteins, and they act to negatively regulate signaling pathways.

  • Gene Regulation

The phosphate bond on DNA is an important chemical structure, and many DNA modifications are regulated by phosphatases. For example, DNA methylation is usually achieved by DNA methyltransferases, while methylation is removed in response to DNA methylases.

  • Cell Cycle and Apoptosis

In the cell cycle, phosphatases regulate the activity of cell cycle proteins, which in turn affects cell division. In apoptosis, phosphatases can also regulate the activity of apoptosis-related proteins, thereby affecting cell death.

Research Tools for Phosphatases and Regulators

Phosphatases and regulators cover different classes of enzymes, including protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP), serine/threonine phosphatases (PP), and dual-specificity phosphatases (DSP). These enzymes utilize specific catalytic mechanisms to dephosphorylate protein substrates. They typically rely on conserved amino acid residues within their active sites to recognize and remove the phosphoryl group from the substrate. In addition to the classical enzymatic mechanism, some phosphatases are known to interact with regulatory proteins or subunits to further fine-tune their activity and substrate specificity

Creative BioMart offers a wide range of products and services designed to support research in this field. By utilizing these resources, researchers can deepen their understanding of the mechanisms and functions of phosphatases and regulators, leading to advances in drug discovery, personalized medicine, and the development of targeted therapies for a wide range of diseases. Click to view all related molecules/targets and research reagents. Please get in touch with us with any questions or requests.

logo

FOLLOW US

Terms and Conditions        Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2024 Creative BioMart. All Rights Reserved.

Contact Us

  • /

Stay Updated on the Latest Bioscience Trends