Taiwan youth plays key role in global protein study

2015/06/01

A senior from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School recently made headlines for his role in a protein research shedding new light on cancer treatment.

Szu Fu-en took part in the study two years ago at Columbia University, with the research Structures of Human Phosphofructokinase-1 and Atomic Basis of Cancer-associated Mutations published online May 18 in Nature magazine.

PFK1 is believed to have an important metabolic reprogramming role in cancer, with the study reporting the first structures of the mammalian PFK1 tetramer for the human platelet isoform (PFKP).

By showing how somatic PFK1 mutations affect allosteric regulation of PFKP activity and lactate production, the study may help guide therapeutic targeting of PFK1 activity to control dysregulated glycolysis in disease.

According to Szu, he first met Farhad Forouhar—a lead researcher in the study—when the latter was a visiting scholar at Taipei City-based Academia Sinica.

The then-junior high student’s curiosity left a deep impression on Forouhar. The pair remained in contact, with Szu eventually accepting an invitation from Forouhar to join the Columbia team.

During his two-month stint in New York, Szu was responsible for observing the formation of a protein crystal in solutions, a process easily affected by such variables as mixture concentration and environment temperature.

“I had to constantly adjust the conditions of the solutions for the desired result,” Szu said, adding that he often had to wait for several days before the crystal began to form. “Seeing the crystal grow gave me the strength to keep going.”

Prior to Szu’s arrival, he said, the team spent three years trying to find the right conditions for protein crystallization. “My breakthrough really was just a case of luck. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute and help advance cancer research.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=230936&ctNode=413)