(cell and molecular biology) A specialized protein that links protein components of the signaling pathway, thereby aiding intracellular signal transduction.
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(cell and molecular biology) A specialized protein that links protein components of the signaling pathway, thereby aiding intracellular signal transduction.
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An adaptor protein is a protein which is accessory to main proteins in a signal transduction pathway. These proteins tend to lack any intrinsic enzymatic activity themselves but instead mediate specific protein-protein interactions that drive the formation of protein complexes. Examples of adaptor proteins include MyD88, Grb2 and Shc.
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Much of the specificity of signal transduction depends on the recruitment of several signalling components such as protein kinases and G-protein GTPases into short lived active complexes in response to an activating signal such as a growth factor binding to its receptor.
Adaptor proteins usually contain several domains within their structure (e.g., Src homology 2 (SH2) and SH3 domains) which allow specific interactions with several other specific proteins. SH2 domains recognise specific amino acid sequences within proteins containing phosphotyrosine residues and SH3 domains recognise proline-rich sequences within specific peptide sequence contexts of proteins.
There are many other types of interaction domains found within adaptor and other signalling proteins which allow a rich diversity of specific and coordinated protein-protein interactions to occur within the cell during signal transduction.
Genes encoding adaptor proteins include:
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| Mahlon Bush Hoagland (American biochemist) | |
| Tirap | |
| Hippo signaling pathway |
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