Activity of an aberrant enzyme

Israeli scientists have developed a simple activity assay for an enzyme linked to the HIV virus life cycle.

Protein kinase enzymes regulate many cellular pathways, including metabolism and cell movement. While the enzymes are essential for normal cellular function, abnormal protein kinase activity has been implicated in a number of diseases. So assays for protein kinase activity and kinase inhibitor screening have great potential use in medical science laboratories.

Now, Itamar Willner and co-workers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed an activity assay for the protein kinase casein kinase II (CK2), a target of some HIV-1 transcription inhibitors.read more