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Myristoylated proteins and peptidyl myristoyltransferase

Book ·
OSTI ID:6703638
The distribution and intracellular locations of myristoylated proteins have been examined in cultured cells. Incubating a variety of cells in minimal medium containing //sup 3/H/ myristate led to the incorporation of labeled myristate into as many as twenty-five different intracellular proteins. The incorporation increased linearly with time for up to six hours and then increased more slowly for an additional ten hours. The chemical stability indicated that the attachment was covalent and excluded nucleophile-labile bonds such as thioesters. Fluorographs of proteins modified by //sup 3/H/ myristate and resolved on gradient SDS-PAGE showed patterns that differed from cell type to cell type. To examine the intracellular locations of the myristate-labeled proteins, cells were isotonically subfractionated. Most of the myristate-labeled proteins remained in the high speed supernatant devoid of microsomal membranes. This indicated that the myristate modification in itself is not sufficient to serve as an anchor for membrane association. Myristate labeled catalytic subunit of the cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase was specifically immunoprecipitated from an aliquot of the high speed supernatant proteins. However, the prominent tyrosine protein kinase of the murine lymphoma cell line LSTRA, pp56/sup lstra/, also incorporated myristate and was specifically immunoprecipitated from the high speed pellet (particulate) fraction of labeled LSTRA cells. To begin to understand the biochemical mechanism of myristate attachment to protein. The authors partially purified and characterized the peptidyl myristoyltransferase from monkey liver. Recovery of enzymatic activity was 69%.
OSTI ID:
6703638
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English