Notch1WIKIMEDIA, HANNES ROSTCellular signals transmitted via the protein Notch are critical for an array of developmental processes in animals. But, if poorly regulated, these signals can contribute to pathologies such as cancer. A report published in Science Signaling yesterday (March 24) reveals that part of the mechanism regulating Notch is the addition of methyl groups that boost the protein’s activity—and hasten its demise.
“While other post-translational modifications have been found in the Notch intracellular domain before, this is a new type of modification, and the biological effects are intriguing,” geneticist Urban Lendahl of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who was not involved in the work, wrote in an e-mail to The Scientist.
“[The modification] both leads to the degradation of Notch, but it is also very important for activation. It has an enigmatic role,” agreed geneticist Rhett Kovall of the University of Cincinnati, who also did not participate in the study.
Notch proteins are a family of transmembrane receptors conserved across the animal kingdom that are essential for normal embryonic and postnatal development. Notch is also essential for ongoing differentiation processes in adults, such as the continuous formation ...
