The “dark molecule”—meaning it’s understudied—is known as “Protein Serine Kinase H1” (PSKH1) and is associated with tumor progression and metastasis. However, until now, how it does this has been unknown.

In this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and WEHI, the team uncovered the way in which PSKH1 is activated (or “switched on”) and, importantly, how it is switched off.

In the case of PSKH1, which is a “signaling molecule,” the researchers found that when it binds to a protein called Calmodulin PSKH1 is “switched on” and when it binds to a protein called Reticulocalbin it is “switched off.”