Lipid-anchored protein
These proteins insert and assume a place in the bilayer structure of the membrane alongside the similar fatty acid tails.
This dynamic interaction of prenylated proteins with the cell membrane is important for their signalling functions and is often deregulated in disease processes such as cancer.
[8] More specifically, Ras is the protein that undergoes prenylation via farnesyltransferase and when it is switched on it can turn on genes involved in cell growth and differentiation.
[9] An understanding of these prenylated proteins and their mechanisms have been important for the drug development efforts in combating cancer.
[7] Some important prenylation chains that are involved in the HMG-CoA reductase metabolic pathway[1] are geranylgeraniol, farnesol and dolichol.
[11]N-myristoylation (i.e. attachment of myristic acid) is generally an irreversible protein modification that typically occurs during protein synthesis[11][13] in which the myrisitc acid is attached to the α-amino group of an N-terminal glycine residue through an amide linkage.
[2][11] The term S-acylation can also be used when other medium and long fatty acids chains are also attached to palmitoylated proteins.
[11] Palmitoylated proteins are mainly found on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane where they play a role in transmembrane signaling.
It is believed that this reverse palmitoylation may regulate the interaction of the protein with the membrane and thus have a role in signaling processes.
[21] This GPI complex consists of several main components that are all interconnected: a phosphoethanolamine, a linear tetrasaccharide (composed of three mannose and a glucosaminyl) and a phosphatidylinositol.
[24] Furthermore, GPI proteins play an important in embryogenesis, development, neurogenesis, the immune system and fertilization.
[21] More specifically, the GPI protein IZUMO1R (also named JUNO after the Roman goddess of fertility) on the egg plasma has an essential role in sperm-egg fusion.
[25] Other roles that GPI modification allows for is in the association with membrane microdomains, transient homodimerization or in apical sorting in polarized cells.
