A bioinformatic analysis and structural study on the inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatases

Funding Activity

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Funded Activity Summary

Communication (or signaling) inside the cell enables the cell to respond to factors in its external environment, such as hormones or growth factors. The inositol phosphates and the phosphoinositides are signaling molecules that play an essential role in intracellular communication. The 5-phosphatases are able to modify these molecules and terminate, and in certain cases stimulate, signals. Failure to properly control intracellular signaling pathways may result in abnormal cell growth and cancer. Human 5-phosphatases are a complex family of enzymes: In addition to the region responsible for phosphatase activity (the catalytic domain) many members contain other protein modules . These associated domains may perform critical roles, such as regulating intracellular location and docking with other proteins. This project aims to perform a computational investigation of human 5-phosphatases and their associated domains. In particular we will search for novel phosphatases, investigate the evolutionary relationships between members of each domain family, and make testable predictions regarding the function of uncharacterized domains. This study will take advantage of data produced by the recently completed human genome project. The second aim of the project is to determine, using X-ray crystallography, the three-dimensional shape (or atomic structure) of a representative member of the 5-phosphatase family. Solving the structure of a 5-phosphatase at the atomic level is critical for understanding the nature of substrate specificity and for rational drug design.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2002

End Date: 01-01-2004

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $421,320.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Biochemistry And Cell Biology Not Elsewhere Classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Bioinformatics | Cancer | Crystallography | Essential thrombocytosis | Phosphatase | Signaling pathways | Thrombocytopenia