Protein Prenylation in the moss Physcomitrium patens

Protein prenylation is the addition of a 15 or 20 carbon lipid to cysteine near carboxyl terminus target proteins. Prentlyation increases hydrophobicity, which facilitates membrane associations and protein-protein interaction. generally conserved among eukaryotes, mutations in genes that carry out are lethal animals yeast. In plants not always lethal, but they do affect development, disease resistance, biofuel production, drought response, other processes agricultural interest. To understand evolutionary developmental implications plant protein prenylation, we used sequenced, annotated, translated genome moss Physcomitrium patens search for proteins meet minimal criteria prenylation; specifically presence sequence includes one six specific amino acids at C terminus. We then analyzed these with an online prediction program assess their likelihood being prenylated based on additional motifs. determined potential biological function putative by using BLAST similarity searches identify related known function. plan use data select functions interest vivo studies genetic molecular tools investigate roles development environmental response.