Overview of proteins and inhibitors published today in the journal cell reportCU researchers debated the best way to use the intervention.

The protein CaMKII is ubiquitous in cells throughout the body, but is perhaps best known for its prominent role in the brain and heart. This is important in learning and memory, but can cause problems if miscontrolled.

“The most powerful driver of new discoveries about CaMKII function may lie in the availability of three distinct classes of pharmacological inhibitors,” said the paper’s lead author, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Medicine. said Dr. Uli Beyer, professor of science. “These inhibitors have enabled the first detailed evaluation of CaMKII function in any system in a manner that is easily accessible to a wide range of scientists with no specific interest in CaMKII research.”

Carolyn Nicole Brown, a graduate student in Beyer’s lab, is a co-author on the manuscript.

These agents have enabled the first detailed evaluation of CaMKII function in any system, making it accessible to a wide range of scientists.

Previous research from Bayer’s lab has shown that inhibiting CaMKII activity protects against some of the effects of amyloid beta (Abeta) plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). .

Researchers have discovered a group of inhibitors, or drugs, that protect against Aβ effects without harmful side effects, and found that this could be useful in treating many brain diseases.

However, CaMKII is present in almost all other cells. This review provides insight about proteins for those who do not study proteins full-time and provides tools to fill gaps in knowledge about how proteins function.

“We are experts in studying this complex protein, and here we provide guidelines for non-experts to use these new tools,” Bayer said. “We try to make it easy for everyone.”

Co-author Brown agreed.

“The most important advances will be filling gaps that we don’t even know about yet,” she said.