Assays for Labeling and Evaluating Lysine Methylation

Application

A life science tool for evaluating protein lysine methylation for drug discovery and disease research.

Key Benefits

Highly specific labeling method for post-translational methylated lysine.
Potential to improve the understanding of protein lysine methylation and help develop new drugs to block its interactions across several disease indications.
Analyzed using mass spectrometry and/or fluorescence.

Market Summary

Protein lysine methylation is a critical post-translational modification that regulates protein stability and function. The significance of the methylation factor in human diseases has been linked to various diseases, including cancer. Also, research indicates that interfering with transcription factor lysine methylation in vitro and in vivo can inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of methylation sites in the body, detecting and interfering with lysine methylation is challenging and new approaches are needed for drug development. Increasing demand for personalized medicine, the growing adoption of proteomics in drug discovery and development, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are the key factors driving the growth of the proteomics market. The proteomics market includes various technologies such as protein microarray, spectrometry, chromatography, electrophoresis, and protein fractionation systems.

Technical Summary

Researchers at Emory have developed a chemical method for the selective tagging of mono-methylation of lysine using arene diazonium to form a stable triazene with a secondary amine. The technique involves treating protein with an arene diazonium salt that interacts with the ε-amino group of a lysine residue to form a diazonium-lysine intermediate. Then it is incubated with a thiol to create a stable triazene that can be detected using mass spectrometry or fluorescent tag.