Velcrins are "molecular glues," compounds that induce proteins that don't typically bind to one another to interact. Most molecular glues are used to trigger degradation of their targets, but velcrins instead spark a unique form of cell death — tomoptosis, marked by digestion of a specific tRNA and total shutdown of protein production within a cell — by forcing the proteins PDE3A and SLFN12 to stick together, activating the SLFN12 tRNase. In a Cell Chemical Biology Commentary, Heidi Greulich presents what's known about velcrins, describes open questions regarding the PDE3A-SLFN12 complex, SLFN12 function, and velcrin therapeutic potential, and suggests new ways to leverage SLFN12 for cancer therapy. #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
Precise!
Disrupting protein synthesis could overcome resistance to other forms of cell death. Super interesting!