Protein phosphorylation dynamics: investigating a new dimension of regulatory control during mitosis

Protein phosphorylation is used to switch protein function on and off like a light. Every second, millions of "lights" flicker on and off inside our cells to keep them alive, however, we are largely blind to this behaviour because current assays only allow snapshot images of this process. Rather like photographs, these assays can pinpoint exactly which molecules are on/off at any given time, but they cannot distinguish whether these are switching on/off at different rates or working in sequence. We will bring these still images to life by measuring protein phosphorylation "dynamics" for the first time. We will recreate these dynamic events in a test-tube, model them mathematically and study their role in controlling cell division. Together, this will reveal how binary phosphorylation signals can generate more complex outputs by switching on and off at different rates. This is important because these rates could be modulated to cause disease.