La N-myritoyl transférase, carrefour entre virologie et oncologie : une voie d'accès à des anticancéreux et des antiviraux d'un genre nouveau

Abstract

N-myristoyl transferase (NMT, E.C. 2.3.1.97) catalyzes a cotranslational modification present in two groups of proteins, viral and oncogenic. The yeast enzyme has been thoroughly studied : it has been purified, characterized, its gene cloned and expressed in yeast and E. coli. Several ways of modulation of its activity have been described. Because this enzyme, as a target, could represent a major breakthrough in antiviral as well as antioncogenic therapy, it is of major importance that the NMT activity be fully studied in mammalian systems. The first experiments, including the purification of a cytosolic isoform, suggest that some huge differences exist between NMTs from various sources, unlike what had been suggested in the literature so far. The present review both deals with some of these differences and comprehensively reviews the proteins that are myristoylated. It also presents the various inhibitors of NMT described so far. New inhibitors of NMT could become new classes of antiviral and/or anticancer compounds.