Preventing proteostasis diseases by selective inhibition of a phosphatase regulatory subunit

Abstract

Giving protein folding a helping hand The reversible phosphorylation of proteins controls virtually all aspects of cell and organismal function. Targeting phosphorylation offers a broad range of therapeutic opportunities, and thus kinases have become important therapeutic targets. As targets, phosphatases should be as attractive, but in fact they are more challenging to manipulate. Das et al. have found a safe and specific inhibitor, called Sephin1, that targets a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 in vivo. Sephin1 binds and inhibits PPP1R15A, but not the related regulatory phosphatase PPP1R15B. In mice, Sephin1 prolonged a stress-induced phospho-signaling pathway to prevent the pathological defects of the unrelated protein-misfolding diseases Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1B and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Science , this issue p. 239