Protein homeostasis or ‘proteostasis’ is the process that regulates proteins within the cell in order to maintain the health of both the cellular proteome and the organism itself.
Proteostasis involves a highly complex interconnection of pathways that influence the fate of a protein from synthesis to degradation. As individual components are affected, the others adjust accordingly to maintain normal function. Disruption of one or more of these proteostasis influencers can manifest in pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and diabetes.
To fuel your proteostatis research, Enzo Life Sciences has an unrivaled portfolio of ubiquitin/proteasome and heat shock protein research reagents through our acquistion of Biomol International and Stressgen® Bioreagents. Our development efforts within the areas of protein synthesis, modification, and degradation continue to produce cutting-edge tools for dissecting key biological processes at the forefront of academic discourse in the proteostasis field. This commitment is evidenced most recently by first-to-market immunoassays, cell based assays, and compound libraries for autophagy, an emerging pathway of interest in cellular regulation of protein turnover and its relation to disease.
Building proteins within the cell is a complex process involving post-translational modification and protein folding. Because of the critical role proteins play, incorrect folding can have devastating consequences. Enzo has a number of assay kits and reagents directed at monitoring the delicate balance of protein synthesis, folding, and degradation.
The highly conserved heat shock proteins (HSPs) are constitutively expressed and function as molecular chaperones which facilitate the synthesis and folding of proteins. They also participate in protein assembly, export, turn-over and regulation.
Detection of protein aggregates has applications in both drug discovery and biotherapeutic production. The formation of aggresomes has been implicated in neurodegenerative and liver disease; therefore, screening for inhibitors has become a Pharma objective. Enzo’s line of ProteoStat® products serve as a toolset for monitoring protein aggregation and stability.
The energetic status of mitochondria (mitochondrial membrane potential, or MMP) and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are frequently assayed as evidence of drug-induced cellular stress. Enzo offers cell based assays for MMP and ROS/Superoxide detection, to support our extensive collection of Oxidative Stress products.
Protein synthesis, folding, and post-translational modifications are of vital importance in proteomic studies of biological systems. Evaluation of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) extends beyond translation to involve assisted folding by molecular chaperones and chemical modification to achieve a protein’s native conformation.
Serine Proteases and CancerELISAs, antibodies, and proteins for detection of serine proteases identified as novel biomarkers of ovarian, breast, and other cancers. |
Proteasome ELISA kitThe only commercially available ELISA kit for determining 20S proteasome concentration in biological samples. |
Solutions for AutophagyComprehensive solutions for the study of Autophagy, including ELISA kits, Small Molecules, Live Cell Analysis Kits and Antibodies. |
MMP Activity AssaysOur MMP activity assays for screening MMP inhibitors feature ultra-sensitive, long wavelength fluorogenic substrates that reduce interference. |
The over 500 proteases that have been identified in the genome comprise a diverse enzyme family critical for many vital processes. Lysosomal proteases (e.g. cathepsins) and the proteasome comprise the degradative pathways for protein turnover, misfolded and damaged proteins, and thus are major contributors to protein homeostasis, i.e. proteostasis. In contrast, precise and limited proteolysis (e.g. MMPs, ADAMs, caspases, DPPIV) are increasingly recognized as an important form of regulation that activates or inactivates many signaling targets including other proteases, growth factors and peptides.
Protein synthesis, folding, and post-translational modifications are of vital importance in proteomic studies of biological systems. Evaluation of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) extends beyond translation to involve assisted folding by molecular chaperones and chemical modification to achieve a protein’s native conformation. Further, a multitude of chemical modifications (e.g. phosphorylation, ubiquitinylation, acetylation, glycosylation, SUMOylation, and methylation) are utilized to regulate proper localization and function. Enzo Life Sciences’ extensive range of chaperone and post-translational modification reagents facilitates detailed characterization of these mechanisms of proteostasis.
