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New links between S ‐acylation and cancer
Author(s) -
Greaves Jennifer,
Chamberlain Luke H
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.4339
Subject(s) - palmitoylation , acylation , disease , cancer , biology , function (biology) , suppressor , prostate cancer , intracellular , gene , enzyme , cancer research , cysteine , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , genetics , medicine , catalysis
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. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.