Investigations into the role of protein phosphatases in the EGFR signaling network

Abstract

Protein phosphatases regulate the phosphorylation state of intracellular signaling molecules in conjunction with protein kinases. In order to better understand the role of phosphatases in the ErbB signaling network, experimental studies were carried out to validate assays and phosphatase inhibitors for gathering dynamic, system-wide data of phosphatase activity. We verified the use of In-Cell Westerns and phospho-ErbB ELISAs for these studies, as well as the use of different cell lines and both general and specific phosphatase inhibitors in system-wide experiments. The phosphatase inhibitors we used perturbed cellular systems in complex ways that can help elucidate the regulation and activity of specific phosphatases in the ErbB signaling pathway in the future.