Prenylation

Prenylation and isoprenylation is a biological process, a so-called posttranslational modification, in other words a change of proteins after translation. This process is used to achieve full functionality of the protein. It comes to the covalent attachment of a terpene moiety (eg farnesol, geranylgeraniol, dolichol ) to the cysteine ​​residues of proteins. This provides a large hydrophobic group that makes it possible to anchor the protein stable in the membrane. The result of the prenylation is a lipoprotein.

Important prenylierbare ras proteins are holding from the protein family of small GTPases, molecular switches, which are important for cell division and growth, but also a key role for the development of many tumors. Inhibitors of isoprenylation, such as farnesol as an inhibitor of farnesyl transferase, appear as a possible anticancer agents.