Expression of N-myristoyltransferase in human brain tumors.
N-myristoylation is a process of covalent irreversible protein modification that promotes association of proteins with membranes. Based on our previous findings of elevated N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) activity in colonic epithelial neoplasms that appears at an early stage in colonic carcinogenesis, together with elevated NMT expression in human colorectal and gallbladder carcinomas, we investigated NMT activity and protein expression of NMT1 and NMT2 in human brain tumors and documented elevated NMT activity and higher protein expressions. For the first time, we have demonstrated that NMT has the potential to be used as a marker of human brain tumors. However, further studies with larger number of patients are required to establish its role as a complementary diagnostic tool. This finding has significant implications for further understanding of biological mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis, as well as for diagnosis and therapy of human brain tumors.
Lu
Yanjie
Y
Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchew, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 4H4.
Selvakumar
Ponniah
P
Ali
Kaiser
K
Shrivastav
Anuraag
A
Bajaj
Gagan
G
Resch
Lothar
L
Griebel
Robert
R
Fourney
Daryl
D
Meguro
Kotoo
K
Sharma
Rajendra K
RK
D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000217:Acyltransferases; C050480:glycylpeptide N-tetradecanoyltransferase