How GPI-anchored proteins turnover: or where do they go after arrival at the plasma membrane.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins comprise a diverse class of membrane molecules. They protect cells from complement-mediated lysis, control cell to cell adhesion, activate T cells, and play a role in the etiology of slow viral diseases. Despite their functional diversity, GPI-anchored proteins are all attached to the plasma membrane by a common glycolipid anchor. In this review we will examine how the GPI anchor is metabolized after arrival at the cell membrane. The conclusion is that break-down of the GPI anchor is potentially as diverse as the proteins themselves. The GPI-anchored protein can be endocytosed and degraded, cleaved and released, vesiculated, or exchanged onto another cell. The chimeric nature--lipid and protein--of the GPI-anchored molecules affords a unique window into the dynamic processes of lipid biosynthesis, movement, transport and maintenance.
Censullo
P
P
Division of Immunology, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016.
Davitz
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D004058:Diffusion; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology
D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010740:Phospholipases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases