Abstract

The post-translational addition of palmitate to many integral and peripheral membrane proteins is the most common modification. Palmitate group promotes stable membrane association. In combination with a myristoyl or farnesyl group, palmitoylated proteins are essentially permanently anchored to the membrane.
The target proteins of Palmitoyl acyltransferase (PAT) can be divided in four classes: (1) transmembrane proteins, (2) prenylated proteins, (3) exclusively palmitoylated proteins, (4) myristoylated proteins.