Regulation of G protein-coupled receptors by palmitoylation and cholesterol

doi:10.1186/1741-7007-10-27

BMC Biol. 2012; 10: 27.

Published online 2012 March 19. doi: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-27

PMCID: PMC3307485

Regulation of G protein-coupled receptors by palmitoylation and cholesterol

Alan D Goddard¹ and Anthony Watts¹

¹Biomembrane Structure Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK

Corresponding author.

Alan D Goddard: alan.goddard/at/bioch.ox.ac.uk; Anthony Watts: anthony.watts/at/bioch.ox.ac.uk

Received March 1, 2012; Accepted March 19, 2012.

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Abstract

Due to their membrane location, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are subject to regulation by soluble and integral membrane proteins as well as membrane components, including lipids and sterols. GPCRs also undergo a variety of post-translational modifications, including palmitoylation. A recent article by Zheng et al. in BMC Cell Biology demonstrates cooperative roles for receptor palmitoylation and cholesterol binding in GPCR dimerization and G protein coupling, underlining the complex regulation of these receptors.

See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2121/13/6

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