Murine Elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) is posstranslationally modified by novel amide-linked ethanolamine-phosphoglycerol moieties. Addition of ethalanolamine-phosphoglycerol to specific glutamic acid residues on EF-1α

S. W. Whiteheart, P. Shenbagamurthi, L. Chen, R. J. Cotter, G. W. Hart

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

Elongation Factor 1α (EF-1α) an important eukaryotic translation factor, transports charged aminoacyl-tRNA from the cytosol to the ribosomes during polypeptide synthesis. Metabolic radiolabeling with [3H] ethanolamie shows that, in all cells examined, EF-1α is the major radiolabeled protein. Radiolabeled EF-1α has an apparent M(r) = 53,000 and a basic isoelectric point. It is cytosolic and does not contain N-linked oligosaccharides. Trypsin digestion of murine EF-1α generated two major [3H]ethanolamine-labeled peptides. Three peptides were sequenced and were identical to two distinct regions of the human EF-1α protein. Blank sequencing cycles coinciding with glutamic acid in the human cDNA-derived sequence were also found to release [3H]ethanolamine, and compositional analysis of these peptides confirmed the presence of glutamic acid. Dansylation analysis demonstrates that the amine group of the ethanolamine is blocked. These results indicate that EF-1α is posttranslationally modified by the covalent attachment of ethanolamine via an amide bond to at least two specific glutamic acid residues (Glu-301 and Glu-374). The hydroxyl group of the attached ethanolamine was shown by mass spectrometry and compositional analysis, to be further modified by the addition of a phosphoglycerol unit. This novel posttranslational modification may represent an important alteration of EF-1α, comparable to the regulatory effects of posttranslational methylation of EF-1α lysine residues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14334-14341
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume264
Issue number24
StatePublished - 1989

Funding

FundersFunder number
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentR37HD013563
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Biochemistry
    • Molecular Biology
    • Cell Biology

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