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ARFGAP1
ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating protein 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''ARFGAP1'' gene. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. Function The protein encoded by this gene is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) which associates with the Golgi apparatus and which interacts with ADP-ribosylation factor 1 ( ARF1). The encoded protein promotes hydrolysis of ARF1-bound GTP and is required for the dissociation of coat proteins from Golgi-derived membranes and vesicles. Dissociation of the coat proteins is required for the fusion of these vesicles with target compartments. The activity of this protein is stimulated by phosphoinositides and inhibited by phosphatidylcholine. The protein has two amphipathic lipid packing sensor motifs (ALPS), that let the protein sense the curvature of the membrane (<30 nm) or lipid packing defects, and in this way evaluate if the vesicle is mature and ready for coat disassem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphipathic Lipid Packing Sensor Motifs
Amphipathic Lipid Packing Sensor (ALPS) motifs were first identified in 2005 in ARFGAP1 and have been reviewed. The curving of a phospholipid bilayer, for example into a liposome, causes disturbances to the packing of the lipids on the side of the bilayer that has the larger surface area (the outside of a liposome for example). The less "ordered" or "looser" packing of the lipids is recognized by ALPS motifs. ALPS motifs are 20 to 40 amino acid long portions of proteins that have important collections of types of amino acid residues. Bulky hydrophobic amino acid residues, such as Phenylalanine, Leucine, and Tryptophan are present every 3 or 4 positions, with many polar but uncharged amino acid residues such as Glycine, Serine and Threonine between. The ALPS is unstructured in solution but folds as an alpha helix The alpha helix (α-helix) is a common motif in the secondary structure of proteins and is a right hand-helix conformation in which every backbone N−H group ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KDELR1
KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) endoplasmic reticulum protein retention receptor 1, also known as KDELR1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''KDELR1'' gene. Function Retention of resident soluble proteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is achieved in both yeast and animal cells by their continual retrieval from the cis- Golgi or a pre-Golgi compartment. Sorting of these proteins is dependent on a C-terminal tetrapeptide signal, usually lys- asp- glu- leu ( KDEL) in animal cells and his-asp-glu-leu ( HDEL) in ''S. cerevisiae''. This process is mediated by a receptor that recognizes and binds the tetrapeptide-containing protein and then returns it to the ER. In yeast, the sorting receptor is encoded by a single gene, ERD2, which is a seven-transmembrane protein. Unlike yeast, several human homologs of the ERD2 gene, constituting the KDEL receptor gene family, have been described. The protein encoded by this gene was the first member of the family to be identi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. Almost all metabolic processes in the cell need enzyme catalysis in order to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life. Metabolic pathways depend upon enzymes to catalyze individual steps. The study of enzymes is called ''enzymology'' and the field of pseudoenzyme analysis recognizes that during evolution, some enzymes have lost the ability to carry out biological catalysis, which is often reflected in their amino acid sequences and unusual 'pseudocatalytic' properties. Enzymes are known to catalyze more than 5,000 biochemical reaction types. Other biocatalysts are catalytic RNA molecules, called ribozymes. Enzymes' specificity comes from their unique three-dimensional structures. Like all catalysts, enzymes increase the reaction ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity and the molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protein-coding genes and noncoding genes. During gene expression, the DNA is first copied into RNA. The RNA can be directly functional or be the intermediate template for a protein that performs a function. The transmission of genes to an organism's offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits. These genes make up different DNA sequences called genotypes. Genotypes along with environmental and developmental factors determine what the phenotypes will be. Most biological traits are under the influence of polygenes (many different genes) as well as gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GTPase-activating Protein
GTPase-activating proteins or GTPase-accelerating proteins (GAPs) are a family of regulatory proteins whose members can bind to activated G proteins and stimulate their GTPase activity, with the result of terminating the signaling event. GAPs are also known as RGS protein, or RGS proteins,Kimple, A.J. "Structural Determinants of G-protein α Subunit Selectivity by Regulator of G-protein Signaling 2 (RGS2)". ''The Journal of Biological Chemistry''. 284 (2009): 19402-19411. and these proteins are crucial in controlling the activity of G proteins. Regulation of G proteins is important because these proteins are involved in a variety of important cellular processes. The large G proteins, for example, are involved in transduction of signaling from the G protein-coupled receptor for a variety of signaling processes like hormonal signaling, and small G proteins are involved in processes like cellular trafficking and cell cycling. GAP's role in this function is to turn the G protein's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golgi Apparatus
The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles inside the cell before the vesicles are sent to their destination. It resides at the intersection of the secretory, lysosomal, and endocytic pathways. It is of particular importance in processing proteins for secretion, containing a set of glycosylation enzymes that attach various sugar monomers to proteins as the proteins move through the apparatus. It was identified in 1897 by the Italian scientist Camillo Golgi and was named after him in 1898. Discovery Owing to its large size and distinctive structure, the Golgi apparatus was one of the first organelles to be discovered and observed in detail. It was discovered in 1898 by Italian physician Camillo Golgi during an investigation of the nervous system. After first observing it under his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ARF1
ADP-ribosylation factor 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''ARF1'' gene. Function ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) is a member of the human ARF gene family. The family members encode small guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that stimulate the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of cholera toxin and play a role in vesicular trafficking as activators of phospholipase D. The gene products, including 6 ARF proteins and 11 ARF-like proteins, constitute a family of the RAS superfamily. The ARF proteins are categorized as class I (ARF1, ARF2 and ARF3), class II (ARF4 and ARF5) and class III (ARF6), and members of each class share a common gene organization. The ARF1 protein is localized to the Golgi apparatus and has a central role in intra-Golgi transport. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene. The major mechanism of action of Brefeldin A is through inhibition of ARF1. Interactions ARF1 has been shown ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phosphoinositide
Phosphatidylinositol (or Inositol Phospholipid) consists of a family of lipids as illustrated on the right, where red is x, blue is y, and black is z, in the context of independent variation, a class of the phosphatidylglycerides. In such molecules the isomer of the inositol group is assumed to be the myo- conformer unless otherwise stated. Typically phosphatidylinositols form a minor component on the cytosolic side of eukaryotic cell membranes. The phosphate group gives the molecules a negative charge at physiological pH. The form of phosphatidylinositol comprising the isomer ''muco''-inositol acts as a sensory receptor in the taste function of the sensory system. In this context it is often referred to as PtdIns, but that does not imply any molecular difference from phosphatidylinositols comprising the myo- conformers of inositol. The phosphatidylinositol can be phosphorylated to form phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PI-4-P, referred to as PIP in close context or informal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylcholines (PC) are a class of phospholipids that incorporate choline as a headgroup. They are a major component of biological membranes and can be easily obtained from a variety of readily available sources, such as egg yolk or soybeans, from which they are mechanically or chemically extracted using hexane. They are also a member of the lecithin group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues. Dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (a.k.a. lecithin) is a major component of pulmonary surfactant and is often used in the L/S ratio to calculate fetal lung maturity. While phosphatidylcholines are found in all plant and animal cells, they are absent in the membranes of most bacteria, including ''Escherichia coli''. Purified phosphatidylcholine is produced commercially. The name ''lecithin'' was derived from Greek λέκιθος, ''lekithos'' 'egg yolk' by Theodore Nicolas Gobley, a French chemist and pharmacist of the mid-19th century, who appli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
