The Switch Function of Lipid Anchors

Lipid anchors can participate in a dynamic way in membrane anchoring and may thereby actively participate in cell signaling. We know of two ways by which the myr-istoyl anchor can function as a switch in cell signaling  

Another type of myristoyl switch has been reported for the MRACKS proteins which are substrates of protein kinase C (see Section 7.4). The membrane binding of the MARCKS proteins is mediated by myristate plus basic motif. Protein kinase C phosphorylation within the basic motif introduces negative charges into the positively charged region. This reduces the electrostatic interactions with the acidic phospholipids and results in displacement of the MARCKS proteins from the membrane and into the cytosol. 

Stryer, L. and Ikura, M. (1997) Molecular mechanics of calcium-myristoyl switches. 

2 Dunphy, J.T. and Linder, M.E. (1998) Signalling functions of protein palmitoylation. 

3 Goldberg, J. (1998) Structural basis for activation of ARF GTPase mechanisms of guanine nucleotide exchange and GTP-my-ristoyl switching. Cell, 95, 237-248. 

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