Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Biotinylated Cell-penetrating Peptides to Study Intracellular Protein-protein Interactions
Published on: December 20, 2017
Biomedical applications of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins
Susanne Heider1, John A Dangerfield2, Christoph Metzner1
1Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) use a unique posttranslational modification to link proteins to lipid bilayer membranes. The anchoring structure consists of both a lipid and carbohydrate portion and is highly conserved in eukaryotic organisms regarding its basic characteristics, yet highly variable in its molecular details. The strong membrane targeting property has made the anchors an interesting tool for biotechnological modification of lipid membrane-covered entities from cells through extracellular vesicles to enveloped virus particles. In this review, we will take a closer look at the mechanisms and fields of application for GPI-APs in lipid bilayer membrane engineering and discuss their advantages and disadvantages for biomedicine.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
GPI Anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane
GPI-anchor structure
A sequence of 11 enzymatic reactions results in the synthesis of the complete GPI anchor consisting of a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic portion. The hydrophobic portion comprises phosphatidylinositol, while the hydrophilic part comprises polar groups like phosphoethanolamine,...
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains...
Phosphoinositides and PIPs
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
Matrix Proteoglycans and Glycoproteins
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Tail-anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane

