Probing JNK MAPK function with peptide inhibitors

人们普遍认为，JNK MAPK蛋白激酶家族在哺乳动物细胞暴露于应激和细胞因子后迅速而有效地被激活。然而，它们在生物学上的作用一直存在争议。我们认为，这个问题反映了缺乏普遍适用和特异的JNK MAPK抑制剂。在这个项目中，我们继续我们实验室开发的一种小肽抑制剂的特征。我们的目标是确定其抑制机制，相互作用的特异性，并进化出更有效的抑制剂。有了这些新的抑制剂，我们可以有效地解决这些激酶的生物学作用。

It has generally been accepted that the JNK MAPK family of protein kinases is rapidly and potently activated following the exposure of mammalian cells to stresses and cytokines. However, their biological role has remained controversial. We believe that this problem reflects the lack of a generally applicable and specific JNK MAPK inhibitor. In this project we continue our characterisation of a small peptide inhibitor developed in our laboratories. We aim to determine its mechanism of inhibition, the specificity of interaction, and to evolve more effective inhibitors. With these new inhibitors, we can effectively address the biological roles of these kinases.