PIP Binding
Phosphorylated phosphstidylinositols (PIPs) are a class of molecules implicated in membrane trafficking and lipid signaling.While considerable work has been done in understanding how PIPs participate in various inter- and intracellular processes, the interaction of PIPs with membrane-bound proteins remains poorly understood. We are developing ssNMR methods to examine PIP binding to AKT2, a PI(3,4)P2 and PIP3 kinase associated with various diseases, including ovarian cancer and diabedes.
A common challenge for studying enzyme-substrate complexes is being able to detect bound states with short lifetimes or bound states in which the ligand-protein interaction is weak.