Protein phosphorylation by semisynthesis: from paper to practice
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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Oligopeptide Competition Assay for Phosphorylation Site Determination
Published on: May 18, 2017
Lawrence M Szewczuk1, Mary Katherine Tarrant, Philip A Cole
1Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
Deconvolution of specific phosphorylation events can be complicated by the reversibility of modification. Protein semisynthesis with phosphonate analogues offers an attractive approach to functional analysis of signaling pathways. In this technique, N- and C-terminal synthetic peptides containing nonhydrolyzable phosphonates at target residues can be ligated to recombinant proteins of interest. The resultant semisynthetic proteins contain site specific, stoichiometric phosphonate modifications and are completely resistant to phosphatases. Control of stoichiometry, specificity, and reversibility allows for complex signaling systems to be broken down into individual events and discretely examined. This chapter outlines the general methods and considerations for designing and carrying out phosphoprotein semisynthetic projects.
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