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Updated: May 8, 2026

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy
Published on: September 29, 2016
Structural requirements of 2-oxoglutaric acid analogues to mimic its signaling function
Xinjun Liu1, Yang Wang, Erik Laurini
1Aix-Marseille Université , CINaM CNRS UMR 7325, 13288 Marseille, France, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan 430072, P.R. China, Molecular Simulation Engineering Laboratory, University of Trieste , 34127 Trieste, Italy, National Interuniversity Consortium for Material Science and Technology, Research Unit MOSE-DEA, Trieste University , Italy, Spectropole , Faculté de Saint-Jérôme, Marseille, France, and Aix-Marseille Université , LCB CNRS UMR 7283, 13402 Marseille, France.
Abstract:
A 2-oxoglutaric acid (2-OG) probe bearing a methylene group introduced at the C4 position and a vinyl group to replace the carbonyl group at the C2 position elicited characteristic affinity for NtcA, the 2-OG receptor, while maintaining the signaling function of the parent natural metabolite 2-OG. This discovery opens new perspectives in the design, synthesis, and implementation of specific 2-OG analogues as molecular probes for investigating the complex 2-OG signaling pathways.
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