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Small molecules help misplaced proteins hitchhike around cells

Many diseases arise from the misplacement of proteins in cells. A potential solution to this problem has been developed: small molecules that help displaced proteins catch a ride with other proteins to return to their proper location.
  1. Robert Yvon

    1. Robert Yvon is in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

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  2. Christina M. Woo

    1. Christina M. Woo is in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

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A network of biological regulators in the cell directs proteins to their appropriate cellular compartments. Disruptions to protein localization underlie various diseases, such as cancers and neurological disorders1. Writing in Nature, Ng et al.2 report small molecules that can relocate misplaced proteins by facilitating interactions with ‘shuttle’ proteins that move the misplaced protein between the cell cytoplasm and nucleus.

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Nature 633, 773-774 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02802-x

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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