Development of New Tools for the Studies of Protein Arginylation

Studies of posttranslational modifications present many unique challenges, stemming from their role as the major drivers of biological complexity. Perhaps the most immediate challenge to researchers working on virtually any posttranslational modification is the shortage of reliable easy-to-use tools that can enable massive identification and characterization of posttranslationally modified proteins, as well as their functional modulation in vitro and in vivo. In the case of protein arginylation, which utilizes charged Arg-tRNA that is also used by the ribosomes, detection and labeling of arginylated proteins are especially difficult, because of the necessity of distinguishing these proteins from the products of conventional translation. As of now, this difficulty remains the major obstacle to new researchers entering the field. This chapter discusses some of the strategies for developing antibodies for arginylation detection, as well as some general considerations for development of other tools for the studies of arginylation.