Publications by authors named "Ross C Overman"

() uses several outer membrane proteins for adhering to its host's gastric mucosa, an important step in establishing and preserving colonization. Several adhesins (SabA, BabA, HopQ) have been characterized in terms of their three-dimensional structure. A recent addition to the growing list of outer membrane porins is LabA (LacdiNAc-binding adhesin), which is thought to bind specifically to GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAc, occurring in the gastric mucosa.

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The activation loop (A-loop) plays a key role in regulating the catalytic activity of protein kinases. Phosphorylation in this region enhances the phosphoryl transfer rate of the kinase domain and increases its affinity for ATP. Furthermore, the A-loop possesses autoinhibitory functions in some kinases, where it collapses onto the protein surface and blocks substrate binding when unphosphorylated.

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While the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) has been revolutionized by the application of targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors capable of inhibiting KIT-driven proliferation, diverse mutations to this kinase drive resistance to established therapies. Here we describe the identification of potent pan-KIT mutant kinase inhibitors that can be dosed without being limited by the tolerability issues seen with multitargeted agents. This effort focused on identification and optimization of an existing kinase scaffold through the use of structure-based design.

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The EphB receptors have key roles in cell morphology, adhesion, migration and invasion, and their aberrant action has been linked with the development and progression of many different tumor types. Their conflicting expression patterns in cancer tissues, combined with their high sequence and structural identity, present interesting challenges to those seeking to develop selective therapeutic molecules targeting this large receptor family. Here, we present the first structure of the EphB1 tyrosine kinase domain determined by X-ray crystallography to 2.

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The Eph (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma) B receptors are important in a variety of cellular processes through their roles in cell-to-cell contact and signalling; their up-regulation and down-regulation has been shown to have implications in a variety of cancers. A greater understanding of the similarities and differences within this small, highly conserved family of tyrosine kinases will be essential to the identification of effective therapeutic opportunities for disease intervention. In this study, we have developed a route to production of multi-milligram quantities of highly purified, homogeneous, recombinant protein for the kinase domain of these human receptors in Escherichia coli.

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