Encoding and Interpreting Information at the Protein Level

细胞中的蛋白质水平代表了合成和降解的总和。蛋白质的（遗传编码的）氨基酸序列不仅指定了蛋白质的结构，还通过序列中编码的隐藏降解信号指定了蛋白质的寿命。降解率与基因表达率相平衡，因此代表了决定蛋白质活性浓度的方程式的后半部分。就像异常的基因表达与癌症有关一样，异常的蛋白质加工或降解也与癌症有关。

Protein levels in the cell represent the sum of synthesis and degradation. The protein's (genetically encoded) amino acid sequence specifies not only the protein's structure, but also its lifetime through hidden degradation signals encoded in the sequence. Degradation rates balance gene expression rates and thus represent the second half of the equation that determines the active concentration of proteins. In the same way that aberrant gene expression is linked to cancer, so too is aberrant protein processing or degradation. The identity of a protein given by its amino is also dynamic and a combination of sequence elements encoding a degradation initiation signal and a degradation stop signal control the formation of protein fragments with activities distinct from those of the full length protein. This project will decode the sequence signals that shape the proteome and will determine the mechanical and chemical principles underlying these mechanisms.