The Protein Society announces its Protein Science 2023 Best Paper recipients

Protein Science Journal

2024-06-13

(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES, CA

The Protein Society is proud to announce that the winners of the 2023 Protein Science Best Paper awards are Evan T. Liechty from the University of Colorado, USA, and Sophie Rizzo, from Lehigh University, USA.

Evan T. Liechty

Protein Science 2023 August;32(8):e4719.doi:10.1002/pro.4719

Analysis of neutral mutational drift in an allosteric enzyme

Evan T. Liechty1, Andrew Hren1, Levi Kramer1, Gregory Donovan1, Anika J. Friedman1, Michael R. Shirts1, Jerome M. Fox1

1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.

PMID: 37402140 PMC10364584 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4719

Evan T. Liechty is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA. This study uses a synthetic transcriptional circuit to study neutral drift in protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a mammalian signaling enzyme for which conformational changes are rate limiting. Findings indicate that the positional dependence of neutral mutations within drifting populations can reveal the presence of allosteric networks and illustrate an approach for using synthetic transcriptional systems to explore these mutations in regulatory enzymes.

His mentor, Dr. Jerome M. Fox, shared: "Evan leads from the bench, pushing experiments forward in focused bursts of creative productivity. In this work, he combined a broad set of biophysical analyses to explore neutral mutational drift in an enzyme beholden to the limits of its own flexibility. His findings have seeded ongoing work on protein allostery."

Sophie Rizzo

Protein Sci. 2023 Sep;32(9):e4742. DOI: 10.1002/pro.4742.

Promoting the activity of a receptor tyrosine phosphatase with a novel pH-responsive transmembrane agonist inhibits cancer-associated phenotypes

Sophie Rizzo1, Eden Sikorski1, Soohyung Park2, Wonpil Im 1 2, Victor Vasquez-Montes3, Alexey S Ladokhin3, Damien Thévenin1

1Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.

2Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.

3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.

PMID: 37515426 PMCID: PMC10461461 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4742

Sophie Rizzo is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. This study designed and tested a series of first-in-class pH-responsive transmembrane (TM) peptide agonists of protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor J (PTPRJ) that are soluble in aqueous solution but insert as a helical TM domain in lipid membranes when the pH is lowered to match that of the acidic microenvironment of tumors. Developing tumor-selective and TM-targeting peptide binders of critical receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) could afford a potentially transformative approach to studying RPTP's selectivity mechanism without requiring less specific inhibitors and represent a novel class of therapeutics against receptor protein tyrosine kinase-driven cancers.

Her mentor, Dr. Damien Thévenin, shared: "From day one, Sophie has shown remarkable determination and rigor in her research. No matter how challenging the problem, Sophie never gives up and always finds a way to push forward. Winning a 2023 Protein Science Best Paper award is a well-deserved recognition of her hard work and innovative thinking. Her contributions have enriched our group and set a remarkable example for her peers to follow. I’m thrilled for her and can’t wait to see the amazing things she’ll accomplish next."

# # #

The Protein Society is the leading international Society devoted to furthering research and development in protein science. Founded in 1986, the purpose of the Society is to provide international forums to facilitate communication, cooperation, and collaboration regarding all aspects of the study of proteins. In support of these goals, the Society publishes Protein Science, the premier journal in the field, hosts an annual international symposium, and facilitates the education of early-career protein scientists across all lines of discipline. The Protein Society members represent a wide spectrum of academic, industry, government, and non-profit institutions from more than 40 countries around the world. Media inquiries can be directed to

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[Press-News.org] The Protein Society announces its Protein Science 2023 Best Paper recipients
Protein Science Journal

The Protein Society announces its Protein Science 2023 Best Paper recipients

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