Posttranslational modification

Posttranslational modification means the chemical modification of a protein after its translation. It is one of the possible steps in protein biosynthesis.

A protein is a chain composed of a long sequence of 20 possible amino acids, also called a polypeptide. Some posttranslational modification extends the range of possible functions a protein can have by introducing other chemical groups into the makeup of a protein (e.g., carbohydrate chains). Other modifications like phosphorylation are part of common mechanisms for controlling the behavior of a protein.

Types of posttranslational modifications include:

• phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group, usual to serine, tyrosine, threonine or histidine
• acetylation, the addition of an acetyl group, usually at the N-terminus of the protein
• farnesylation, the addition of a farnesyl group
• glycosylation, the addition of a glycosyl group to either asparagine, hydroxylysine, serine, or threonine, resulting in a glycoprotein