Amy Weeks
@amyweeks.bsky.social
1.6K followers 310 following 22 posts
Asst Prof @ UW-Madison Biochemistry. Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology, Proteomics, Proteases, Enzymology.
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Reposted by Amy Weeks
slavov-n.bsky.social
A beautiful example of how spatiotemporal dynamics can enable multiplexed measurements.
Reposted by Amy Weeks
jeffmartell.bsky.social
Excited to share our new preprint, which was years in the making! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
New reactions are typically developed by trial and error. How can we speed up this process? Read on to learn how we used DNA scaffolding to perform >500,000 parallel reactions on attomole scale.
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DNA-Scaffolded Ultrahigh-Throughput Reaction Screening
Discovering and optimizing reactions is central to synthetic chemistry. However, chemical reactions are traditionally screened using relatively low-throughput methods, prohibiting exploration of diver...
chemrxiv.org
amyweeks.bsky.social
Congratulations to first author Kasia Radziwon and co-authors Laura Campbell, Lauren Mazurkiewicz, Sopo Jalalshvili, Izabelle Eppinger, and Aanika Parikh! We are grateful to the NIH for supporting this work. Public investment in fundamental science fuels innovation and is worth defending.
A handmade poster that says "We are all in this together" with a DNA double helix in the center.
amyweeks.bsky.social
Leveraging the throughput of our approach, we took a deep dive into the molecular basis of OspF specificity. We identified enzyme residues in the L12 loop that influence OspF’s specificity for pThr vs. pSer and were able to shift this specificity through protein engineering
A crystal structure of the OspF homolog SpvC bound to a substrate peptide. Plots of % sites beta-eliminated for pThr and pSer with several OspF variants.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We also found that the catalytic domain of the pThr lyase OspF (a functionally and mechanistically distinct phosphoeraser from Shigella flexneri) has and intrinsic preference for the pThr-Xaa-pTyr motif found in Erk and p38 MAP kinase activation loops that does not depend on its MAPK docking motif
OspF is a pThr lyase from Shigella flexneri that targets MAPKs in innate immune signaling. We profiled OspF activity on PhosPropels and found that its catalytic domain has an intrinsic preference for the the MAPK activation loop motif pThr-X-pTyr.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We applied our approach to define sequence motifs for 8 phosphoerasers spanning diverse species, folds, and enzymatic mechanisms. Example: The Legionella pneumophila phosphatase WipB uses multiple selectivity filters, disfavoring substrates with Pro at +1 and phosphosites flanked by acidic residues
The Legionella pneumophila phosphatase WipB targets the lysosomal nutrient sensing machinery. WipB disfavors substrates with Pro at +1 and phosphosites flanked by acidic residues.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We developed an LC-MS/MS-based in vitro assay for dephosphorylation of human phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels). We use statistical comparison of phosphopeptide sequence features in enzyme-treated samples vs. controls for deep specificity profiling of phosphoeraser enzymes.
Workflow for PhosPropel-based profiling of phosphoerasers. Cells are lysed, protein is digested, and phosphopeptides are enriched to generated a phosphoproteome-derived peptide library (PhosPropel). The PhosPropel can then be treated with a phosphoeraser enzyme and analyzed using LC-MS/MS to profile enzyme specificity.
amyweeks.bsky.social
New preprint: we developed a method that uses phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels) for deep specificity profiling of phosphatases and phospholyases www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Position-specific frequency matrices can be used to calculate z-scores comparing enzyme-treated and control samples. The z-scores are plotted as heatmaps that represent an enzyme specificity profile.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We also found that the catalytic domain of the pThr lyase OspF (a functionally and mechanistically distinct phosphoeraser from Shigella flexneri) has and intrinsic preference for the pThr-Xaa-pTyr motif found in Erk and p38 MAP kinase activation loops that does not depend on its MAPK docking motif
OspF is a pThr lyase from Shigella flexneri that dampens innate immune signaling. We treated PhosPropels with OspF and found that this enzyme has intrinsic specificity for the pThr-X-pTyr motif of MAPK activation loops independent of an N-terminal MAPK docking motif.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We applied our approach to define sequence motifs for 8 phosphoerasers spanning diverse species, folds, and enzymatic mechanisms. Example: The Legionella pneumophila phosphatase WipB uses multiple selectivity filters, disfavoring substrates with Pro at +1 and phosphosites flanked by acidic residues
WipB is a Ser/Thr phosphatase from Legionella pneumophila that targets lysosomal nutrient sensing machinery. PhosPropel analysis revealed that WipB disfavors substrates with Pro at +1 and phosphosites flanked by acidic residues.
amyweeks.bsky.social
We developed an LC-MS/MS-based assay for dephosphorylation of human phosphoproteome-derived peptide libraries (PhosPropels). We use statistical comparison of phosphopeptide sequence features in enzyme-treated samples vs. controls for deep specificity profiling of phosphoerasers.
Workflow for phosphoeraser specificity profiling. Cells are lysed, protein is digested, phosphopeptides are enriched, the phosphopeptide library is treated with an eraser enzyme, and phosphosites are analyzed by LC-MS/MS
Reposted by Amy Weeks
coonlab.bsky.social
Check out our new manuscript on parallel LC separations! Super cool how the very high scan rates of modern MS systems coupled with DIA can allow us to run several samples at the same time with little loss in depth. Congrats to Noah and the team. #JASMS pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
SynchroSep-MS: Parallel LC Separations for Multiplexed Proteomics
Achieving high throughput remains a challenge in MS-based proteomics for large-scale applications. We introduce SynchroSep-MS, a novel method for parallelized, label-free proteome analysis that leverages the rapid acquisition speed of modern mass spectrometers. This approach employs multiple liquid chromatography columns, each with an independent sample, simultaneously introduced into a single mass spectrometer inlet. A precisely controlled retention time offset between sample injections creates distinct elution profiles, facilitating unambiguous analyte assignment. We modified the DIA-NN workflow to effectively process these unique parallelized data, accounting for retention time offsets. Using a dual-column setup with mouse brain peptides, SynchroSep-MS detected approximately 16,700 unique protein groups, nearly doubling the peptide information obtained from a conventional single proteome analysis. The method demonstrated excellent precision and reproducibility (median protein %RSDs less than 4%) and high quantitative linearity (median R2 greater than 0.96) with minimal matrix interference. SynchroSep-MS represents a new paradigm for data collection and the first example of label-free multiplexed proteome analysis via parallel LC separations, offering a direct strategy to accelerate throughput for demanding applications such as large-scale clinical cohorts and single-cell analyses without compromising peak capacity or causing ionization suppression.
pubs.acs.org
amyweeks.bsky.social
Bravo to Clara Frazier, Debashrito Deb
@thepeptidetailor.bsky.social and coauthors Will Leiter @wleiter1999.bsky.social and Umasankar Mondal!
amyweeks.bsky.social
Excited to share our latest: we engineered the reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme for ATP-driven modification of C termini. Our tool mimics the logic of peptide bond formation in biology for precision modification of proteins in vitro. 🧪https://rdcu.be/ewN7C
Engineered reactivity of a bacterial E1-like enzyme enables ATP-driven modification of protein and peptide C termini
Nature Chemistry - In living systems, ATP provides an energetic driving force for protein synthesis and modification. Now, an engineered enzymatic tool has been developed for high-yield, ATP-driven...
rdcu.be
Reposted by Amy Weeks
onoinitiative.bsky.social
Great success at the Ono Pharma Foundation Symposium in Boston! Highlights include inspiring talks by Xiao Wang @amyweeks.bsky.social‬ Robert Spitale @stevenbanik.bsky.social@michael-erb.bsky.social‬ Matthew Shoulders Michelle Arkin and a keynote from Chuan He. Posters fueled inspired exchange.
amyweeks.bsky.social
Congrats to Weeks lab graduate student Debashrito Deb @thepeptidetailor.bsky.social, who won a poster prize at the Bioorganic GRC last week! Thanks to conference chairs @doc-jlmeier.bsky.social and Denise Field who knocked it out of the park with a memorable and inspiring meeting this year!
Debashrito Deb holding up his poster award at the 2025 Bioorganic GRC
Reposted by Amy Weeks
nshahlab.bsky.social
Despite ~20 years in/around #chembio research, I went to my first Bioorganic GRC this week. This community is amazing and so supportive. I feel energized (and tired, lol) and find myself rooting for the next generation of chemical biologists. Sooooo much awesome science - We can’t/won’t be stopped!
Reposted by Amy Weeks
lauraem-lab.bsky.social
The 13th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society will be held in Búsios, Brazil Oct 26-30, 2025. Training workshops will be held at the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Oct 23-23. Register now! Links below.

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Reposted by Amy Weeks
jasonrcantor.bsky.social
excited to share our latest work now online
@natmetabolism.nature.com, led by
@kyle-flickinger.bsky.social, where we unravel a mechanistic basis for the conditional essentiality of NADK, one of the many interesting hits from our previously reported CRISPR screening with HPLM rdcu.be/ekpu6
Reposted by Amy Weeks
uwmadison.bsky.social
Three UW–Madison students have received 2025 Goldwater Scholarships, the preeminent undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering in the United States.

Congratulations to Alissa Choi, Elliott Weix and Pramana Saldin!
Three UW–Madison students named 2025 Goldwater Scholars
Three University of Wisconsin–Madison students have been named winners of 2025 Goldwater Scholarships, the premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences in the...
news.wisc.edu
Reposted by Amy Weeks
zhilindseylin.bsky.social
Excited to share that our cell surface proteome review is now online on Chemical Reviews! 🥰 We highlight recent advances of techniques mapping cell surface protein expression, protein-protein interactions, extracellular PTMs and MHC complexes. @jimwellsucsf.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Engineered Proteins and Chemical Tools to Probe the Cell Surface Proteome
The cell surface proteome, or surfaceome, is the hub for cells to interact and communicate with the outside world. Many disease-associated changes are hard-wired within the surfaceome, yet approved drugs target less than 50 cell surface proteins. In the past decade, the proteomics community has made significant strides in developing new technologies tailored for studying the surfaceome in all its complexity. In this review, we first dive into the unique characteristics and functions of the surfaceome, emphasizing the necessity for specialized labeling, enrichment, and proteomic approaches. An overview of surfaceomics methods is provided, detailing techniques to measure changes in protein expression and how this leads to novel target discovery. Next, we highlight advances in proximity labeling proteomics (PLP), showcasing how various enzymatic and photoaffinity proximity labeling techniques can map protein–protein interactions and membrane protein complexes on the cell surface. We then review the role of extracellular post-translational modifications, focusing on cell surface glycosylation, proteolytic remodeling, and the secretome. Finally, we discuss methods for identifying tumor-specific peptide MHC complexes and how they have shaped therapeutic development. This emerging field of neo-protein epitopes is constantly evolving, where targets are identified at the proteome level and encompass defined disease-associated PTMs, complexes, and dysregulated cellular and tissue locations. Given the functional importance of the surfaceome for biology and therapy, we view surfaceomics as a critical piece of this quest for neo-epitope target discovery.
pubs.acs.org