In search of inhibitors of IDPs, we found that salvianolic acid (Sal-A) disrupts the formation of stress granules triggered by the disordered protein NUPR1. Our study suggests that the search for drug candidates against IDPs can be extended to bioactive natural compounds.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ij...

Protein complexes with higher disorder are less sensitive to molecular chirality, compared to folded complexes. We now show that the translocation carrier Importin α3 is highly tolerant of the stereochemistry of nuclear localization signals in both folded proteins and IDPs.
doi.org/10.3390/ijms...

Scientific journals are complaining that they are having a harder time finding reviewers. Yet, I just found out that I set my new personal record by serving as one of EIGHT reviewers for a manuscript. That seems like a lot!

We expanded the chemical space of inhibitors of intrinsically disordered proteins to include silicon compounds. Affinities measured in vitro are not very high, but simulations demonstrate a well-defined binding mechanism. Thus, we have ideas on how to improve these molecules.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ab...

Italy's largest research organization (#CNR) has been left without a President – and no one knows why. The previous President's term has expired, yet the process of appointing a new one has not even started. Most of the Board of Directors' terms have also expired, so we are now close to a paralysis.

Citrullination at the N‐terminal region of MDM2 by the PADI4 enzyme PADI4 is one of the human isoforms of a family of enzymes involved in the conversion of arginine to citrulline. MDM2 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is critical for degradation of the tumor suppressor...

Citrullination is a post-translational modification that is critical for many physiological processes. We combined experiments and simulations on disordered peptides to identify the citrullination sites of MDM2, an IDP that acts as a key regulator of the tumor suppressor p53.
doi.org/10.1002/pro....

Program - EBSA 2025 Join the 15th EBSA Congress in Rome from June 30 to July 4, 2025! Organized by SIBPA, EBSA, and the Protein Society, with support from IUPAB, the event will take place at the Palazzo dei Congressi. Di...

The 2025 Congress of the European Biophysical Societies' Association #EBSA will be held in Rome (Italy) from June 30 to July 4, 2025. The website is rapidly being updated, and the program includes 28 parallel symposia.
www.ebsa2025.eu/program

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Development of an efficient NUPR1 inhibitor with anticancer activity - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Development of an efficient NUPR1 inhibitor with anticancer activity

Drug design against a 100% disordered protein is challenging. Our latest effort combined high-throughput screening with remodeling of the lead compound. The resulting drug candidate reduced tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model of human pancreatic cancer.
nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79340-z