Lecture 4 mRNA Translation and Protein biosynthesis Part 4 Posttranslational modifications

In this part of the lecture, we examine the role of post-translational modifications in adapting protein structure to specific cellular requirements, regulating the biological activity of certain proteins, and marking proteins for degradation. In particular, we discuss phosphorylation, methylation, glycosylation, N-acetylation, ubiquitination, lipidation, and proteolysis, focusing on how these modifications occur and the structural and functional changes they produce. We also discuss prion diseases—mysterious, rapidly progressive, and currently incurable neurodegenerative disorders caused by protein misfolding. Because of their unusual ability to spread between cells and, in some cases, between individuals, prion diseases are often compared with infectious diseases.