title: The carboxy-terminal 10 amino acid residues of cytochrome b5 are necessary for its targeting to the endoplasmic reticulum.
abstract: Cytochrome b5 is an integral membrane protein located on the outer surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This cytochrome is considered to be synthesized on free ribosomes and to be inserted post-translationally into the ER membrane, without participation of a signal recognition particle. To elucidate the signal responsible for targeting of cytochrome b5 to the ER membrane in vivo, DNAs encoding various derivatives of the cytochrome were constructed and introduced into cultured mammalian COS cells, and the subcellular distributions of the derivatives expressed in the cells were then analyzed. The deletion of more than 11 amino acid residues at the carboxy-terminal end of cytochrome b5 abolished the targeting and anchoring of the cytochrome to the ER membrane. Fusion proteins consisting of the carboxy-terminal 10 amino acid residues of cytochrome b5 and passenger proteins with the hydrophobic portion could be localized in the ER membrane. Thus, the last 10 amino acid residues of cytochrome b5 carry information necessary for the cytochrome to be targeted to the ER membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mitoma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002460:Cell Line; D015786:Cytochromes b5 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015723:Gene Library; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015786:Cytochromes b5