Prenoids and palmitate: lipids that control the biological activity of Ras proteins.
Ras proteins can be modified by two types of lipids--an isoprenoid and the fatty acid palmitate. These lipids help the otherwise cytoplasmic Ras protein to interact with the plasma membrane of a cell. The biological consequences of this association between Ras and membranes are dramatic, and can alter a cell's behavior from normal growth into malignancy. The scope and limits of our knowledge of the steps, structures and enzymes involved in this molecular transformation from soluble inactivity to membrane-bound potency are offered below. The prospects of regulating Ras function by controlling its intracellular location provides a tantalizing opportunity to translate research into a novel therapeutic reality.
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La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, CA 92037.
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019308:Palmitic Acid; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011106:Polyisoprenyl Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D017368:Protein Prenylation / Q000502:physiology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae
D010169:Palmitic Acids; D011106:Polyisoprenyl Phosphates; D019308:Palmitic Acid