Monday, June 21, 2010

Dear Src Kinase

I hate you.

I hate how everyone can say everything about all the million freaking things you and your sibling do. How your structure can be simplified down to being between 52-64 Kda, with 4 main domains SH4, Unique, SH2, and SH3, but no one explains what happened to SH1? Did s/he run away? Get cut away in some post-translational modification?And What the fuck do you do? I don't care what you whole extended freaking family does, I only care about you specifically and how do you do it. You ancestor resides in my invertebrate animal model, the ancestors of all your cousins do not - I do not care about them. I am new to learning about you and your culture of kinase activity. I need an introduction to Src for dummies, not an intensive look at me and my family and all the freaking shit we do.

I know you're inactivated by phosphorylation of your c-terminal regulatory tyrosine (Y527) but I also know that phosphorylation of your Y416 in the activation loop is more important. As in your Y537 can be phosphorylated and but you will still be fully active if Y416 becomes pY416. How the fuck is that possible if SH3/SH3 intramolecular interactions are supposed to have you snapped shut and locked?

the only good thing is that your adaptor proteins are relatively easy to understand.

get your shit together please,

that is all

Kind Regards,
ScientistMother

9 comments:

chall said...

I wish you the best.

For my part.... my brain started screaming "oh noes... you don't know this ... so... quick... look away and go back to bacteria".

sorry. just had to. freak out.

You'll do fine though. Much smarter than I am :) Good luck with the slides and whipping those siblings into shape (Src kinase and brother)

Maggie May said...

this made me laugh. i have NO idea what you are talking about but it made me laugh!

The bean-mom said...

Just reading this made my head hurt =)

But it could be written about countless other signaling proteins...

Venkat said...

SM, If I remember right, I think that any one or more of 4 things - dephos of Y527 or phos of Y416 or some ligand binding to SH2 or some ligand binding to SH3 - can activate src. I find this image most helpful in seeing why this is so:
http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v2/n6/images/nrm0601_467a_f3.gif

Venkat said...

oops...the above URL should end correctly as images/nrm0601_467a_f3.gif

ScientistMother said...

Chall - thank you! my brain has been hurting since this whole mock grant/comphrensive process began.

MM - trust me, you don't want to know!

BeanMom - I know it could, but some are just have better reviews, ie EGFR. Did I tell you, I think I"m reading the Annual Review you wrote! or at least I think its you

Venkat - do you really want me coming after to with gorilla masks and spray, ala Samia? :) thanks for the link though!

The bean-mom said...

Re that Annual Reviews article I co-wrote--are you interested in cell junctions?!

Cath@VWXYNot? said...

LOL! Signalling pathways can kiss my ass!

ScientistMother said...

Cath - Don't you worry, I'm going to make Src signalling my bitch. Don't mess with the SM