Regulating protein spontaneous ruptures
AssigneeBowling Green State University
InventorH. Peter Lu
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Abstract
Protein rupture under compressive forces can be regulated by cations. More specifically, pico-Newton forces can cause rupture of protein molecules, as shown in examples with calmodulin (CaM) and tau proteins, among others. However, rupture does not occur in the presence of various concentrations of cation(s), thus elucidating new targets for disease therapy and providing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases or other conditions involving protein misfolding, dysfunction, or aggregation.
Claims21
A method for preventing or reducing rupture of a protein from a compressive force, the method comprising exposing the protein to a concentration of a cation effective to prevent or reduce rupture of the protein from the compressive force.
A method of causing a spontaneous protein rupture, the method comprising applying a picoNewton compressive force to a protein to cause the protein to spontaneously rupture.
An aqueous solution comprising:
- a protein with a rupture threshold exposed to a compressive force in excess of the rupture threshold;
- and
- a concentration of a cation;
- wherein the concentration of the cation is sufficient to prevent rupture of the protein upon exposure to the compressive force in excess of the rupture threshold, and the protein is in a non-ruptured state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.