Study of Bicaudal-D Protein Phosphorylation in Drosophila
Author Information
Author(s): Rafael Koch, Romana Ledermann, Olivier Urwyler, Manfred Heller, Beat Suter
Primary Institution: Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Hypothesis
What is the functional importance of individual phosphorylation events in the Drosophila Bicaudal-D protein?
Conclusion
Phosphorylation of individual serines in the Bicaudal-D protein is not essential for its normal functions, but some substitutions can modulate its activity under specific conditions.
Supporting Evidence
- Phosphorylation of the Bicaudal-D protein was analyzed using mass spectrometry.
- Mutants were created to test the functional importance of identified phosphorylation sites.
- Results showed that most phosphorylation events are not essential for Bicaudal-D function.
Takeaway
The study looked at a protein in fruit flies that helps with egg development and found that changing certain parts of it didn't really affect its main job, but some changes could make it work differently when conditions were tough.
Methodology
The researchers used mass spectrometry to identify phosphorylation sites and created various mutants to test the functional importance of these sites in Drosophila.
Limitations
The study primarily focused on a single protein and may not generalize to other proteins or organisms.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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