Molecular Regulation of the Serine-Threonine Kinase ULK1 in Autophagy

自噬或自食是一种基本的细胞过程，对癌症可能有有益或不利的影响。在考虑使用阻断自噬的药物进行治疗之前，必须确定患者的自噬状态。自噬需要一种名为ULK1的蛋白质，它可能成为癌症自噬的病理标志物以及潜在的药物靶点。这项拨款提案将研究ULK1的监管，并为其医学应用奠定科学基础。

Autophagy or self eating is a basic cellular process and can have either beneficial or adverse effects in cancer. It is essential to determine the status of autophagy in patients before considering drugs that block autophagy for therapy. A protein called ULK1 is needed for autophagy and may emerge as a pathological marker for autophagy in cancer as well as a potential drug target. This grant proposal will study ULK1 regulation and will lay the scientific foundation for its medical application.