Ferguson M A
Division of Molecular Parasitology and Biological Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry, The Wellcome Trust Building, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
J Cell Sci. 1999 Sep;112 ( Pt 17):2799-809. doi: 10.1242/jcs.112.17.2799.
The discovery of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchors has had a significant impact on several areas of eukaryote cell biology. Studies of the African trypanosome, which expresses a dense surface coat of GPI-anchored variant surface glycoprotein, have played important roles in establishing the general structure of GPI membrane anchors and in delineating the pathway of GPI biosynthesis. The major cell-surface molecules of related parasites are also rich in GPI-anchored glycoproteins and/or GPI-related glycophospholipids, and differences in substrate specificity between enzymes of trypanosomal and mammalian GPI biosynthesis may have potential for the development of anti-parasite therapies. Apart from providing stable membrane anchorage, GPI anchors have been implicated in the sequestration of GPI-anchored proteins into specialised membrane microdomains, known as lipid rafts, and in signal transduction events.
糖基磷脂酰肌醇（GPI）膜锚定物的发现对真核细胞生物学的多个领域产生了重大影响。对非洲锥虫的研究在确定GPI膜锚定物的总体结构以及描绘GPI生物合成途径方面发挥了重要作用，该寄生虫表达一层密集的GPI锚定可变表面糖蛋白表面被膜。相关寄生虫的主要细胞表面分子也富含GPI锚定糖蛋白和/或GPI相关糖磷脂，锥虫和哺乳动物GPI生物合成酶之间底物特异性的差异可能具有开发抗寄生虫疗法的潜力。除了提供稳定的膜锚定作用外，GPI锚定物还与将GPI锚定蛋白隔离到称为脂筏的特殊膜微区以及信号转导事件有关。
