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Babak Samii

Publications and source records attributed to Babak Samii.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

High-resolution functional proteomics by active-site peptide profiling.

Characterization and functional annotation of the large number of proteins predicted from genome sequencing projects poses a major scientific challenge. Whereas several proteomics techniques have been developed to quantify the abundance of proteins, these methods provide little information regarding protein function. Here, we present a gel-free platform that permits ultrasensitive, quantitative, and high-resolution analyses of protein activities in proteomes, including highly problematic samples such as undiluted plasma. We demonstrate the value of this platform for the discovery of both disease-related enzyme activities and specific inhibitors that target these proteins.

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Regulation of the SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase by a novel cholesterol- and cell confluence-dependent mechanism.

Endothelial cells approaching confluence exhibit marked decreases in tyrosine phosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases and adherens junctions proteins, required for cell cycle arrest and adherens junctions stability. Recently, we demonstrated a close correlation in endothelial cells between membrane cholesterol and tyrosine phosphorylation of adherens junctions proteins. Here, we probe the mechanistic basis for this correlation. We find that as endothelial cells reach confluence, the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 is recruited to a low-density membrane fraction in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Binding of SHP-2 to this fraction was not abolished by phenyl phosphate, strongly suggesting that this binding was mediated by other regions of SHP-2 beside its SH2 domains. Annexin II, previously implicated in cholesterol trafficking, was associated in a complex with SHP-2, and both proteins localized to adhesion bands in confluent endothelial monolayers. These studies reveal a novel, cholesterol-dependent mechanism for the recruitment of signaling proteins to specific plasma membrane domains via their interactions with annexin II.

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