Towards a Functional Understanding of Protein NTerminal Acetylation
Peer reviewed, Journal article
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Date
2011-05-31Metadata
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Original version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001074Abstract
Protein N-terminal acetylation is a major modification of eukaryotic proteins. Its functional implications include regulation of protein–protein interactions and targeting to membranes, as demonstrated by studies of a handful of proteins. Fifty years after its discovery, a potential general function of the N-terminal acetyl group carried by thousands of unique proteins remains enigmatic. However, recent functional data suggest roles for N-terminal acetylation as a degradation signal and as a determining factor for preventing protein targeting to the secretory pathway, thus highlighting N-terminal acetylation as a major determinant for the life and death of proteins. These contributions represent new and intriguing hypotheses that will guide the research in the years to come.