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Interferon gamma induces the myristoylation of a 48-kDa protein in macrophages

A A Aderem1, D E Marratta, Z A Cohn

  • 1Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 1, 1988
PubMed

Insights

Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) triggers myristoylation of a 48 kDa macrophage protein. This process, potentially linked to macrophage activation, is specific to IFN-gamma.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) is a key lymphokine involved in immune responses.
  • Macrophage activation is a critical process in cellular immunity.
  • Protein modification, such as myristoylation, plays a role in cellular signaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) on protein myristoylation in macrophages.
  • To characterize the nature of the myristic acid-protein linkage.
  • To explore the potential role of this modified protein in macrophage activation.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of macrophages with IFN-gamma and other interferon types (IFN-alpha, IFN-beta).
  • Analysis of protein myristoylation using biochemical techniques.
  • Assessment of the myristic acid-protein bond stability.
  • Observation of myristoylation in macrophages activated in vivo.

Main Results:

  • IFN-gamma selectively induces myristoylation of a 48 kDa macrophage protein.
  • The myristic acid-protein bond is an amide linkage, resistant to hydroxylamine.
  • The effect is dose-dependent (1 U/ml) and time-dependent (maximal at 3-4 hr).
  • IFN-alpha and IFN-beta show minimal or no induction of this myristoylation.
  • The 48 kDa protein is constitutively myristoylated in macrophages activated by Corynebacterium parvum.

Conclusions:

  • IFN-gamma specifically induces the myristoylation of a 48 kDa macrophage protein via an amide bond.
  • This IFN-gamma-induced myristoylation is distinct from effects of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta.
  • The constitutive myristoylation of this protein in activated macrophages suggests its potential role as an early activation intermediate.

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