title: Towards a functional understanding of protein N-terminal acetylation.
abstract: Protein N-terminal acetylation is a major modification of eukaryotic proteins. Its functional implications include regulation of protein-protein interactions and targeting to membranes, as demonstrated by studies of a handful of proteins. Fifty years after its discovery, a potential general function of the N-terminal acetyl group carried by thousands of unique proteins remains enigmatic. However, recent functional data suggest roles for N-terminal acetylation as a degradation signal and as a determining factor for preventing protein targeting to the secretory pathway, thus highlighting N-terminal acetylation as a major determinant for the life and death of proteins. These contributions represent new and intriguing hypotheses that will guide the research in the years to come.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. thomas.arnesen@mbi.uib.no
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arnesen
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D055550:Protein Stability; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055571:Secretory Pathway; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins