Phosphorylation
Phosphorylation — The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, particularly serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. A key mechanism in signal transduction cascades.
What Is Phosphorylation?
Phosphorylation is the post-translational modification in which a kinase transfers a phosphate group from ATP to Ser, Thr, or Tyr side chains (adding +80 Da and two negative charges). Phosphorylation is the primary regulatory switch in cell signaling, and phosphopeptides are essential tools for studying kinase/phosphatase biology.
Applications
- Synthetic phosphopeptides: Standards for phosphoproteomic assay validation
- Kinase substrates: Fluorescent or radiolabeled phosphopeptides for kinase activity assays
- Enrichment: TiO2 or IMAC enrichment of phosphopeptides from complex digests for phosphoproteomics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Phosphorylation?
The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, particularly serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. A key mechanism in signal transduction cascades.
Why is Phosphorylation important in peptide research?
Phosphorylation is a fundamental concept in modification as it relates to peptide science. It directly influences experimental design, compound characterization, and the reliability of research outcomes across biochemistry and molecular biology disciplines.
Authority Sources
- Phosphorylation on Wikipedia
- Search Phosphorylation on PubChem (NIH)
- Research articles on ScienceDirect