Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.288, No.1, 233-239, 2001
Phosphorylation of human N-myristoyltransferase by N-myristoylated SRC family tyrosine kinase members
N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) is an essential eukaryotic enzyme that catalyzes the cotranslational and/or posttranslational transfer of myristate to the amino terminal glycine residue of a number of important proteins especially the non-receptor tyrosine kinases whose activity is important for tumorigenesis. Human NMT was found to be phosphorylated by nonreceptor tyrosine kinase family members of Lyn, Fyn and Lck and dephosphorylated by the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin. Deletion of 149 amino acids from the N-terminal end resulted in the absence of phosphorylation suggesting that the phosphorylation sites are located in the N-terminal end of NMT. Furthermore, a site-directed mutagenesis study indicated that substitution of tyrosine 100 with phenylalanine served NMT as a poor substrate for the Lyn kinase. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the amino-terminal region encompassing tyrosine 100 of NMT served as a good substrate for the Lyn and Fyn kinases. Our studies also indicated that NMT was found to interact with Lyn through its N-terminal end in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. This is the first study demonstrating the crosstalk between NMT and their myristoylated protein substrates in signaling pathways.
Keywords:N-myristoyltransferase;phosphorylation;dephosphorylation;non-receptor tyrosine kinases;interaction;site-directed mutagenesis;calcineurin