Pharmacologically controlled protein switch for ON-OFF regulation of growth factor activity.
The precise manipulation of growth factor signaling is central to the progress of tissue engineering. Methods for direct time-resolved activation of signaling pathways through controlled receptor dimerization have been reported; however, these suffer from the risks associated with gene transfer. Here we present an alternative gene transfer-free approach in the form of a protein switch featuring pharmacologically controlled ON-OFF regulation of growth factor activity. The reversible operation of the switch enables stimulation of target processes within a defined period of time. The protein switch provides a means for both studying and manipulating signaling processes, and is thus believed to be a valuable tool for basic research as well as tissue engineering and biomedical applications.
1] Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany [2] Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
Maria
M
Karlsson
Balder
B
Rebmann
Philipp S
PS
Lienemann
Natallia
N
Sprossmann
Martin
M
Ehrbar
Gerald
G
Radziwill
Wilfried
W
Weber
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002465:Cell Movement; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2