Targeting Ras palmitoylation for the treatment of cancer

This Ph.D. in Targeting Ras palmitoylation for the treatment of cancer at University of Dundee is concerned with understanding the way that Ras is palmitoylated with a view to developing new drugs for the treatment of cancer.

Techniques: 

The student from Targeting Ras palmitoylation for the treatment of cancer Targeting Ras palmitoylation for the treatment of cancer at University of Dundee University of Dundee will gain experience of mammalian cell culture, molecular biology techniques (including PCR and site-directed mutagenesis), pharmacology, acyl-RAC (assay for determining protein palmitoylation levels), co-immunoprecipitation and pulldown experiments, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting, protein expression (bacteria, yeast) and purification as well as Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry.

• Scientific summary: In humans, the genes HRAS, NRAS and KRAS encode three closely related proteins frequently mutated in cancer promoting unregulated cell growth. 
• Ras proteins function as molecular switches transmitting signals from cell surface growth factor receptors to intracellular effector proteins cycling between inactive (GDP bound) and active (GTP) states. 
• Oncogenic Ras activity requires the protein to be localised to the inner face of the plasma membrane suggesting strategies that cause Ras to be mistargeted within the cell may be effective in treating cancer.