Affinity-Based Assays for the Identification and Quantitative Evaluation of Noncovalent Poly(ADP-Ribose)-Binding Proteins

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases have been linked to several cellular functions, most of which being mediated through the dynamics of poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr). In several pathways, pADPr is the effector molecule that regulates cellular signaling and dictates biological outcomes. pAPDr is a central molecule that is capable of promoting both cell survival through the maintenance of genome integrity and cell death that occurs by way of a signal-mediated apoptotic-like process. Thus, interactions with pADPr are extremely important in bringing about the balanced regulation that controls cell fate. Further clues regarding these functions are emerging from a growing list of proteins with which pADPr interacts. Here, we describe the current approaches for investigating noncovalent protein interactions with pADPr.