A Generalizable Platform for the Photoactivation of Cell Surface Receptors.

Polarized signal transduction from cell surface receptors plays a central role in the development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms, and it also contributes to cellular dysfunction in many disease states. Understanding the molecular and cellular bases of polarized signaling requires experimental methods that provide precise spatiotemporal control of receptor activation. However, we currently lack strategies for inducing both sustained and spatially constrained signal transduction.

Phase I clinical trial of O-acetylated pectin conjugate, a plant polysaccharide based typhoid vaccine.

Background: Typhoid fever remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing countries. Vi capsular polysaccharide conjugate vaccine demonstrated safety and efficacy in young children in high endemic regions. A novel typhoid conjugate vaccine based on plant polysaccharide pectin was studied in a phase I trial.

Coupling protein engineering with probe design to inhibit and image matrix metalloproteinases with controlled specificity.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc endopeptidases that play roles in numerous pathophysiological processes and therefore are promising drug targets. However, the large size of this family and a lack of highly selective compounds that can be used for imaging or inhibition of specific MMPs members has limited efforts to better define their biological function. Here we describe a protein engineering strategy coupled with small-molecule probe design to selectively target individual members of the MMP family.

Fluorescence imaging of cellular metabolites with RNA.

Genetically encoded sensors are powerful tools for imaging intracellular metabolites and signaling molecules. However, developing sensors is challenging because they require proteins that undergo conformational changes upon binding the desired target molecule. We describe an approach for generating fluorescent sensors based on Spinach, an RNA sequence that binds and activates the fluorescence of a small-molecule fluorophore.