< Back to previous page

Project

Physiological significance of pyruvate kinase M2 interaction with the IP3 receptor and its application as a new way to induce apoptosis.

The inositol trisphosphate (IP3) receptor (IP3R) is an intracellular Ca2+-release channel located on the endoplasmic reticulum and responsible for complex Ca2+ signals regulating a variety of intracellular processes including programmed cell death or apoptosis. The IP3R is itself modulated by various intracellular factors including regulatory proteins. Own preliminary results already indicated that pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), a metabolic enzyme upregulated in many cancers, interacts with the IP3R, thereby inhibiting IP3-induced Ca2+ release. As this behavior is reminiscent of that of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein also upregulated in many cancers, we want to perform an in-depth investigation of the PKM2/IP3R interaction at the molecular level and to investigate what are the exact physiological consequences of this interaction. Moreover we want to develop and analyse the usefulness of peptide tools able to disrupt the PKM2/IP3R interaction in order to provoke apoptosis. This would offer a novel way to induce apoptosis and potentially be of future therapeutic value in the treatment of cancer.

Date:1 Jan 2019 →  31 Dec 2022
Keywords:Medical cell biology
Disciplines:Cellular interactions and extracellular matrix, Cell signalling