Researchers at Iowa State are one step closer to understanding how the healthy cell works.

“The idea that our bodies know exactly how to control the activities of every single protein is interesting and is important in terms of maintaining a healthy cell,” said Amy Andreotti, assistant professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular

biology.

The research focuses on interleukin-2 tyrosine kinase, also known as ITK, a protein located in the cells of the immune

system.

In a normal, healthy cell, all of its proteins, which are the workforce of the cell, have to be on and off at the right time, Andreotti said.

ITK is a protein that needs to be on when the body is fighting an infection and off when there is no infection.

ISU researchers, Andreotti, graduate assistant Kristine Brazin, postdoctoral researcher Robert Mallis, and assistant scientist Bruce Fulton, set out to learn what the on/off switch of ITK was.

While studying the structure of the immune system protein, the team discovered a new function for another immune system protein called cyclophilin.

Biochemistry experiments were conducted in living cells to see if there was a connection between the two immune system proteins and what the researchers found is that cyclophilin is responsible for turning ITK on and off.

While there is no direct connection between ITK and diseases such as the common cold, it is possible that in some disease this switch is messed up, Andreotti said.

“There will be a day when we know at a very precise and molecular level how all the proteins in our body work together to remain healthy and fight infection,” she said.

“When we know that, we will be in a much better position to control the course of these different things. We’re on our way to being able to really know every single player in that big puzzle.”

Brazin, who has been working in Andreotti’s lab for four years, conducted the experiments that were an essential part of the research.

“An easy day for me would be ten hours long,” Brazin said. “A lot of times I’d be here for 14 to 16 hours doing experiments six or seven days a week.”

While her primary goal is to conduct successful experiments, Brazin said learning how to do that is an extremely powerful tool.

“I’m really, really excited about it,” she said. “I’m really amazed with what we were able to connect from just studying a protein by biophysical methods.”

Brazin, who earned her bachelor’s degree at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., is looking to pursue an academic faculty position or a position in a government research institution.

“My true love is doing experiments and research – working in a lab,” she said.

The research team wrote a paper on their research findings entitled “Regulation of the tyrosine kinase Itk by the peptidyl-prolyl ismerase cyclophilin A.”

Their paper, edited by Mallis, is featured in the Feb. 5 issue of the journal “The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Mallis said his contribution to the research was “just the supporting role.”

“It’s very basic fundamental research,” Andreotti said. “But what it’s doing is letting us get one step closer to understanding how the healthy cell works.”