Abstract
S-acylation (also known as palmitoylation) is a major post-translational protein modification in all eukaryotic cells, involving the attachment of fatty acids onto cysteine residues. A variety of structural and signalling proteins are modified in this way, affecting their stability, membrane association and intracellular targeting. The enzymes that mediate S-acylation are encoded by genes belonging to the large (> 20 genes) ZDHHC family. The importance of these enzymes for normal physiological function is highlighted by their links to a diverse range of disease states, including neurological disorders, such as Huntington's disease, schizophrenia and intellectual disability, and diabetes and cancer. The recent study by Yeste-Velasco et al published in the Journal of Pathology highlights a novel tumour suppressor function for the zDHHC family: expression of zDHHC14 is decreased in testicular germ cell tumours, prostate cancer and a variety of other cancer types. This important finding further emphasizes the emerging clinical significance of the zDHHC family of S-acylation enzymes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4-6 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Pathology |
Volume | 233 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 12 Apr 2014 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2014 |
Keywords
- zDHHC
- DHHC
- S-acylation
- palmitoylation
- cancer