Physiological enzymology: The next frontier in understanding protein structure and function at the cellular level.
Historically, the study of proteins has relied heavily on characterizing the activity of a single purified protein isolated from other cellular components. This classic approach allowed scientists to unambiguously define the intrinsic kinetic and chemical properties of that protein. The ultimate hope was to extrapolate this information toward understanding how the enzyme or receptor behaves within its native cellular context. These types of detailed in vitro analyses were necessary to reduce the innate complexities of measuring the singular activity and biochemical properties of a specific enzyme without interference from other enzymes and potential competing substrates. However, recent developments in fields encompassing cell biology, molecular imaging, and chemical biology now provide the unique chemical tools and instrumentation to study protein structure, function, and regulation in their native cellular environment. These advancements provide the foundation for a new field, coined physiological enzymology, which quantifies the function and regulation of enzymes and proteins at the cellular level. In this Special Edition, we explore the area of Physiological Enzymology and Protein Function through a series of review articles that focus on the tools and techniques used to measure the cellular activity of proteins inside living cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Physiological Enzymology and Protein Functions.
Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, 2080 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Irene
I
Lee
Department of Chemistry, Cleveland State University, 2351 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA; Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, 2351 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, 11000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Red5 Pharmaceuticals, LLC, 10000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. Electronic address: a.berdis@csuohio.edu.
Anthony J
AJ
Berdis
D055162:Biocatalysis; D003585:Cell Biology / Q000639:trends; D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D057075:Enzyme Assays / Q000379:methods; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000201:enzymology*; D007700:Kinetics; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
D004798:Enzymes; D011506:Proteins
Enzymology; Kinetics; Protein structure; Single molecule; Spectroscopy