The Identification and Characterization of Cytoplasmic Acetylated Lysines

Abstract

Lysine acetylation by histone acetyl transferascs (HATs) is a reversible posttranscriptional modification that plays a key role in regulating several biological processes, such as the cell cycle, nuclear transport, and gene expression. Previous research has shown lysine acetylation contributes to regulation of almost all nuclear functions, but a recent study in Science determined that lysine acetylation also contributes to regulation of a large array of cytoplasmic functions. The goal of my research is to determine the function, recognition, regulation, and activity of the cytoplasmic acctylated lysines and the proposed isomerase that regulates them. A large number or enzymatic activity assays were completed using a synthesized acetylated peptide in the cis conformation. Isomerization, and therefore activity, was measured using absorbance on a spectrophotometer. Lysine acetylation has become an important target in cancer and neurodegcncrative diseases and understanding the underlying mechanisms of acetylation could aid in the improvement of drug therapy.