biology

Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase

Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase rather than just read about it. In short: Palmitoyl protein hydrolase/thioesterases is an enzyme (EC 3.1.2.22) that removes thioester-linked fatty acyl groups such as palmitate from modified cysteine residues in proteins or peptides during lysosomal degradation. It catalyzes the reaction palmitoyl[protein] + H2O ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } palmitate + protein This enzyme belongs to the family of hydrolases, specifically those acting on thioester b…

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Palmitoyl protein hydrolase/thioesterases is an enzyme (EC 3.1.2.22) that removes thioester-linked fatty acyl groups such as palmitate from modified cysteine residues in proteins or peptides during lysosomal degradation. It catalyzes the reaction

palmitoyl[protein] + H2O ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } palmitate + protein This enzyme belongs to the family of hydrolases, specifically those acting on thioester bonds. The systematic name is palmitoyl[protein] hydrolase. Other names in common use include palmitoyl-protein thioesterase, and palmitoyl-(protein) hydrolase. This enzyme participates in fatty acid elongation in mitochondria. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) represent a group of encephalopathies that occur in 1 in 12,500 children. Mutations in the palmitoyl protein thioesterase gene causing infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. The most common mutation results in intracellular accumulation of the polypeptide and undetectable enzyme activity in the brain. Direct sequencing of cDNAs derived from brain RNA of INCL patients has shown a mis-sense transversion of A to T at nucleotide position 364, which results in substitution of Trp for Arg at position 122 in the protein - Arg 122 is immediately adjacent to a lipase consensus sequence that contains the putative active site Ser of PPT. The occurrence of this and two other independent mutations in the PPT gene strongly suggests that defects in this gene cause INCL.

Examples Human proteins containing this domain include:

Structural studies As of late 2007, 4 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes PDB: 1EH5, PDB: 1EI9, PDB: 1EXW, and PDB: 1PJA.

See also palmitoyl Acyl-protein thioesterases

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase

In research: Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 3.1.2, EC 3.1 stubs, Enzymes of known structure, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase in simple terms?

Why does Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Palmitoyl(protein) hydrolase.