Prenyltransferases (PTs) are a class of

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. ...

s that transfer allylic prenyl groups to acceptor molecules. Prenyl transferases commonly refer to isoprenyl diphosphate syntheses (IPPSs). Prenyltransferases are a functional category and include several enzyme groups that are evolutionarily independent. Prenyltransferases are commonly divided into two classes, cis (or Z) and trans (or E), depending upon the

stereochemistry Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms that form the structure of molecules and their manipulation. The study of stereochemistry focuses on the relationships between stereo ...

of the resulting products. Examples of trans-prenyltranferases include

dimethylallyltranstransferase Dimethylallyltranstransferase (DMATT), also known as farnesylpyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) or as farnesyldiphosphate synthase (FDPS), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FDPS gene and catalyzes the transformation of dimethylallylpy ...

, and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase. Cis-prenyltransferases include dehydrodolichol diphosphate synthase (involved in the production of a precursor to

dolichol Dolichol refers to any of a group of long-chain mostly unsaturated organic compounds that are made up of varying numbers of isoprene units terminating in an α-saturated isoprenoid group, containing an alcohol functional group. Functions Dolic ...

). Trans- and cis-prenyltransferases are evolutionarily unrelated to each other and there is no sequential and structural similarity. The beta subunit of the

farnesyltransferase Farnesyltransferase () is one of the three enzymes in the prenyltransferase group. Farnesyltransferase (FTase) adds a 15-carbon isoprenoid called a farnesyl group to proteins bearing a CaaX motif: a four-amino acid sequence at the carboxyl te ...

s is responsible for peptide binding. Squalene-hopene cyclase is a bacterial enzyme that catalyzes the

cyclization A cyclic compound (or ring compound) is a term for a compound in the field of chemistry in which one or more series of atoms in the compound is connected to form a ring. Rings may vary in size from three to many atoms, and include examples where ...

of squalene into hopene, a key step in hopanoid (triterpenoid) metabolism. Lanosterol synthase () (oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase) catalyzes the cyclization of (S)-2,3-epoxysqualene to lanosterol, the initial precursor of cholesterol, steroid hormones and vitamin D in vertebrates and of ergosterol in fungi. Cycloartenol synthase () (2,3-epoxysqualene-cycloartenol cyclase) is a plant enzyme that catalyzes the cyclization of (S)-2,3-epoxysqualene to cycloartenol.

Human proteins containing this domain

FNTB; LSS; PGGT1B; RABGGTB

References

External links

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Protein prenyltransferases alpha subunit repeat
in PROSITE Peripheral membrane proteins Protein domains {{enzyme-stub