This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at UW-Madison
What are post-translational modifications?
Post-translational modifications are changes made to proteins after they have been constructed. The changes include modifying the amino acids of the protein, attaching chemicals, molecules, or peptides to the protein, and cleaving the protein in pieces (Figure 1). These modifications increase the diversity of protein function. [1]
Figure 1: The many types of post-translational modifications that can occur.
Post-Translational Modifications of MSH6
NetPhos predicts sites of phosphorylation within a protein. Phosphorylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications and regulates many cellular processes including signal transduction pathways, cell cycle, growth, and apoptosis. Proteins are typically phosphorylated on serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. [2] Below are comparisons of phosphorylation sites between human and mouse MSH6. The lines above the pink threshold have a high confidence of being true sites of phosphorylation.
Homo sapiens
Mus musculus
Conclusions
Sites of phosphorylation were found to be similar between humans and mice. Serine phosphorylation is the most common type of phosphorylation on MSH6 making serine phosphorylation of MSH6 a good future direction to study. As phosphorylation is important in regulating processes such as cell cycle and growth, it is clear that improper phosphorylation, perhaps in a mutated protein, may result in dysregulation of these events leading to cancer.