Myristoylation

In myristoylation, a myristoyl group (derived from myristic acid, pictured above) is added.
Co-translational addition of myristic acid by N-myristoyltransferase to N-terminal glycine of a nascent protein.

Myristoylation is a lipidation modification where a myristoyl group, derived from myristic acid, is covalently attached by an amide bond to the alpha-amino group of an N-terminal glycine residue.[1] Myristic acid is a 14-carbon saturated fatty acid (14:0) with the systematic name of n-tetradecanoic acid. This modification can be added either co-translationally or post-translationally. N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) catalyzes the myristic acid addition reaction in the cytoplasm of cells.[2] This lipidation event is the most common type of fatty acylation [3] and is present in many organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, protozoans [4] and viruses. Myristoylation allows for weak protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions[5] and plays an essential role in membrane targeting, protein–protein interactions and functions widely in a variety of signal transduction pathways.

  1. ^ Cox, David L. Nelson, Michael M. (2005). Lehninger principles of biochemistry (4th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 978-0716743392.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Tamanoi, Fuyuhiko; Sigman, David S., eds. (2001). Protein lipidation. Vol. 21 (3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-122722-7.
  3. ^ Mohammadzadeh, Fatemeh; Hosseini, Vahid; Mehdizadeh, Amir; Dani, Christian; Darabi, Masoud (2018-11-30). "A method for the gross analysis of global protein acylation by gas-liquid chromatography". IUBMB Life. 71 (3): 340–346. doi:10.1002/iub.1975. ISSN 1521-6543. PMID 30501005.
  4. ^ Kara, UA; Stenzel, DJ; Ingram, LT; Bushell, GR; Lopez, JA; Kidson, C (Apr 1988). "Inhibitory monoclonal antibody against a (myristylated) small-molecular-weight antigen from Plasmodium falciparum associated with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane". Infection and Immunity. 56 (4): 903–9. doi:10.1128/IAI.56.4.903-909.1988. PMC 259388. PMID 3278984.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Biology and Enzymology of Myristoylation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).