Substrate limits protease activity: Molecular clock for signal inhibition (2025-2027)

Proteases act as sharp scissors to modulate molecular processes. Importantly, it is crucial for proteases to be strictly regulated to avoid unwilling proteolysis. This proposal investigates a molecular clock to turn off protease activity. This proposal seeks to reveal how substrate availability acts as a signal inhibition to control the magnitude of proteolysis. Expected outcomes include new insights into regulating protease activity and how their own substrates control the duration and magnitude of proteolysis. Project benefits include a fundamental understanding of how proteolytic processes are strictly regulated and shut down to control the amplification of molecular signals.