title: Biogenesis of tail-anchored proteins.
abstract: A group of integral membrane proteins, known as C-tail anchored, is defined by the presence of a cytosolic N-terminal domain that is anchored to the phospholipid bilayer by a single segment of hydrophobic amino acids close to the C-terminus. The mode of insertion into membranes of these proteins, many of which play key roles in fundamental intracellular processes, is obligatorily post-translational, is highly specific and may be subject to regulatory processes that modulate the protein's function. Recent work has demonstrated that tail-anchored proteins translocate their C-termini across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane by a mechanism different from that used for Sec61-dependent post-translational signal-peptide-driven translocation. Here we summarize recent results on the insertion of tail-anchored proteins and discuss possible mechanisms that could be involved.
authors.affiliation: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Institute for Neuroscience, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Section, University of Milan, via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milan, Italy. n.borgese@in.cnr.it
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borgese
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brambillasca
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soffientini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yabal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makarow
mesh_terms: D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D021381:Protein Transport
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals