Posttranslational processing modification

A model called histone code theory includes more aspects of chromatin regulation which have been identified. The histone code theory predicts that histone acetylation and other posttranslational histone modifications serve as binding sites for regulatory proteins which mediate processes like gene transcription upon recruitment (see Fig. 2b) [3]. In this context histone modifications can be understood as... 

Prenylated proteins have characteristic C-terminal sequences. For example, the three allelic Ras proteins (H-Ras, K-Ras, and N-Ras) expressed in mammalian tissues contain a C-terminal tetrapeptide which begins with cysteine, and ends with either methionine or serine. This part of the molecule is referred to as the CaaX box where C = cysteine, a = an aliphatic amino acid, and X = a prenylation specificity residue. The first step in the posttranslational processing of Ras proteins utilizes FTase and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to covalently attach a farnesyl group to the cysteine thiol of the CaaX box. While subsequent processing events involve proteolytic removal of the aaX tripeptide and methylation of the resulting C-termi-nal carboxylate group, only the farnesyl modification is required for mutant Ras proteins to associate with the cell membrane and transform a cell.2-6... 

Protein synthesis also involves a set of posttranslational modifications that prepare the molecule for its functional role, assist in folding, or target it to a specific destination. These covalent alterations include proteolytic processing, modification of certain amino acid side chains, and insertion of cofactors. 

The incorporation of new functional groups can also be accomplished using the metabolic machinery for posttranslational protein modifications. These methods rely on the ability of some modification enzymes to process and install analogs of their natural substrates containing reactive handles of interest. In an early demonstration of this technique, it was shown that derivatives of N-acetylmannosamine 40a bearing ketones 40b) [62] or azides 40c [63] in the acyl moiety are tolerated by enzymatic pathways that produce sialic acid. By feeding these unnatural building blocks to cell cultures,... 

Reversible phosphorylation of proteins on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues by protein kinases and phosphatases represents the principal mechanism of signal transduction events that control a multitude of cellular processes (see ref. 1 and 2 for detained reviews). Phosphorylation is a posttranslational chemical modification that is used by prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to define the properties of a large... 

Posttranslational modification of proteins is a ubiquitous phenomenon since approximately 140 amino acids and derivatized amino acids have been found in various proteins, while, as we have discussed before, the amino acid code provides information for only 20 amino acids (Uy and Wold, 1977 Dreyfus et al., 1978). Cleavage of peptide bonds or addition of substituents to individual amino acids are the means of posttranslational processing of proteins. Cleavage of peptide bonds is the strategy utilized with the zymogens, pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, coagulation proteins, immunoglobulins, complement... 

Reversible phosphorylation requiring both a kinase and a phosphatase is implicated in the control of many cellular process. Generally, a phosphate group is linked to serine or threonine and also to tyrosine residues in proteins. Phosphorylation in enzyme molecules generally leads to a modification of the catalytic activity (see review, England, 1980). Other modifications have been also described such as methylations and ADP-ribosylation. Formation of disulfide bonds is also a posttranslational process. 

There has been an extensive search for additional opioid receptor genes with homology to p, 8, and k receptors which was, however, unsuccessfiil. It is likely, therefore, that the functional properties of the subdivision of p, 8, and k receptors as well as that of the e and X receptors results from alternate mRNA processing, posttranslational modification of the receptor, and/ or from the formation of homo- and heterodimeric receptor complexes. 

DNA sequencing reveals the order in which amino acids are added to the nascent polypeptide chain as it is synthesized on the ribosomes. However, it provides no information about posttranslational modifications such as proteolytic processing, methylation, glycosylation, phosphorylation, hydroxylation of prohne and lysine, and disulfide bond formation that accompany mamra-tion. While Edman sequencing can detect the presence of most posttranslational events, technical hmitations often prevent identification of a specific modification. 

The maturation of proteins into their final structural state often involves the cleavage or formation (or both) of covalent bonds, a process termed posttranslational modification. Many polypeptides are initially synthesized as larger precursors, called proproteins. The extra polypeptide segments in these proproteins often serve as leader sequences that target a polypeptide... 

The biogenesis of membranes is thus a complex process about which much remains to be learned. One indication of the complexity involved is to consider the number of posttranslational modifications that membrane proteins may be subjected to prior to attaining their mamre state. These include proteolysis, assembly... 

In the x-ray structure of rhodopsin, an amphipathic helix runs parallel to the membrane from the intracellular end of TM-VII beneath the seven-helical bundle to the other side of TM-I and TM-II. At this point, one or more Cys residues are often found and are known to be subject to a dynamic posttranslational modification with palmitic acid residues. Like the phosphorylation event, the palmitoylation process appears to be dynamically regulated by receptor occupancy and is also involved in the desensitization phenomenon. The two posttranslational modifications can influence each other. For example, the conformational constraint induced by palmitoylation may alter the accessibility of certain phosphorylation sites. Like the phosphorylation process, the functional consequences of palmitoylation also appear to vary from receptor to receptor. 

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