Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center received a $449,900 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded May 1, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2028. This exploratory research project will develop novel methods for detecting and quantifying multi-site protein phosphorylation—a critical post-translational modification affecting virtually all cellular processes. The research exploits the Legionella pneumophila effector protein LnAB, which catalyzes phosphoryl-ampylation by installing adenosine monophosphate (AMP) specifically onto phosphorylated serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues.

The project deliverables include identifying optimal LnAB orthologs with enhanced catalytic efficiency and broad specificity phosphoryl-ampylase activity, validating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analogs containing alkyne adducts as suitable substrates for click-chemistry applications, and establishing proof-of-principle methodologies for quantifying multi-site phosphorylation via standard sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. These advances will address longstanding technical challenges in protein phosphorylation detection and provide the cell biology research community with accessible, cost-effective tools for characterizing phospho-regulation across diverse cellular systems.