Project Grant R21AR082613

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) awarded a 2-year, $387,200 R21 grant (CFDA 93.846: Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research) to Baylor College of Medicine to elucidate the binding partners and phosphorylation targets of the SPEG protein kinase in skeletal and cardiac muscle. The project aims to identify SPEG's interacting proteins and the specific phosphorylation sites on key targets like RyR and JPH2 using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques. This research is expected to provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying severe myopathies associated with SPEG deficiency, such as centronuclear myopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. The techniques developed may also be applicable to studying other skeletal and cardiac muscle proteins.