Geranylgeranylation

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Geranylgeranylation is a form of prenylation, which is a post-translational modification of proteins that involves the attachment of one or two 20-carbon lipophilic geranylgeranyl isoprene units from geranylgeranyl diphosphate to one or two cysteine residue(s) at the C-terminus of specific proteins. Prenylation (including geranylgeranylation) is thought to function, at least in part, as a membrane anchor for proteins. [1]

The process of geranylgeranylation can be catalyzed by either geranylgeranyl transferase I (GGTase I) or Rab GGTase (also GGTase II). GGTase I catalyzes the addition of one geranylgeranyl group onto the C-terminal consensus sequence CAAL (somewhat similar to farnesyltransferase reactions), where C=cysteine, A=any aliphatic amino acid, and L=leucine. Rab GGTase adds a total of two geranylgeranyl groups onto two cysteine residues at the C-terminal consensus sequence CXC or XXCC. The source of the geranylgeranyl group is geranylgeranyl diphosphate, which is synthesized by GGPS1 within the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway. [2]

An example of this can be seen in the lipid anchoring of the Rho GTPase family of signaling molecules and the gamma subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins.

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Protein primary structure Linear sequence of amino acids in a peptide or protein

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Lipid-anchored protein proteins located on the surface of the cell membrane that are covalently attached to lipids embedded within the cell membrane

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The C-terminus is the end of an amino acid chain, terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is translated from messenger RNA, it is created from N-terminus to C-terminus. The convention for writing peptide sequences is to put the C-terminal end on the right and write the sequence from N- to C-terminus.

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Prenylation Term from the Systems Biology Ontology

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Rab27 is a member of the Rab subfamily of GTPases. Rab27 is post translationally modified by the addition of two geranylgeranyl groups on the two C-terminal cysteines.

Geranylgeranyltransferase type 1 or simply geranylgeranyltransferase is one of the three enzymes in the prenyltransferase group. In specific terms, Geranylgeranyltransferase adds a 20-carbon isoprenoid called a geranylgeranyl group to proteins bearing a CaaX motif: a four-amino acid sequence at the carboxyl terminal of a protein. Geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitors are being investigated as anti-cancer agents.

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Rab geranylgeranyltransferase also known as (protein) geranylgeranyltransferase II is one of the three prenyltransferases. It transfers (usually) two geranylgeranyl groups to the cystein(s) at the C-terminus of Rab proteins.

Isopeptide bond

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The non-mevalonate pathway—also appearing as the mevalonate-independent pathway and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate/1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (MEP/DOXP) pathway—is an alternative metabolic pathway for the biosynthesis of the isoprenoid precursors isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). The currently preferred name for this pathway is the MEP pathway, since MEP is the first committed metabolite on the route to IPP.

Farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyltransferase class of enzymes

Squalene synthase (SQS) or farnesyl-diphosphate:farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyl transferase is an enzyme localized to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. SQS participates in the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, catalyzing a two-step reaction in which two identical molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) are converted into squalene, with the consumption of NADPH. Catalysis by SQS is the first committed step in sterol synthesis, since the squalene produced is converted exclusively into various sterols, such as cholesterol, via a complex, multi-step pathway. SQS belongs to squalene/phytoene synthase family of proteins.

Isopentenyl-diphosphate delta isomerase class of enzymes

Isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase, also known as Isopentenyl-diphosphate delta isomerase, is an isomerase that catalyzes the conversion of the relatively un-reactive isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) to the more-reactive electrophile dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). This isomerization is a key step in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids through the mevalonate pathway and the MEP pathway.

RAB5A protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Ras-related protein Rab-5A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RAB5A gene.

In enzymology, a geranyltranstransferase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

In enzymology, a protein geranylgeranyltransferase type I is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

FNTA protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Protein farnesyltransferase/geranylgeranyltransferase type-1 subunit alpha is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FNTA gene.

GGPS1 mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the GGPS1 gene.

Rab GDP dissociation inhibitors

In molecular biology, the Rab GDP dissociation inhibitors constitute a family of small GTPases that serve a regulatory role in vesicular membrane traffic. C-terminal geranylgeranylation is crucial for their membrane association and function. This post-translational modification is catalysed by Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (Rab-GGTase), a multi-subunit enzyme that contains a catalytic heterodimer and an accessory component, termed Rab escort protein (REP)-1. REP-1 presents newly synthesised Rab proteins to the catalytic component, and forms a stable complex with the prenylated proteins following the transfer reaction. The mechanism of REP-1-mediated membrane association of Rab5 is similar to that mediated by Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI). REP-1 and Rab GDI also share other functional properties, including the ability to inhibit the release of GDP and to remove Rab proteins from membranes.

References

  1. Jiang, Yu; Proteau, Philip; Poulter, Dale; Ferro-Novick, Susan (1995). "BTS1 Encodes a Geranylgeranyl Diphosphate Synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae". Journal of Biological Chemistry . 270 (37): 21793–21799. doi: 10.1074/jbc.270.37.21793 . PMID   7665600.
  2. Wiemer, Andrew J.; Hohl, Raymond J.; Wiemer, David F. (2009). "The intermediate enzymes of isoprenoid metabolism as anticancer targets". Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry . 9 (5): 526–542. doi:10.2174/187152009788451860. PMID   19519294.