Recombinant Puromycin N-acetyltransferase protein (His tag)

Supplementary information

This supplementary information is collated from multiple sources and compiled automatically.

Puromycin N-acetyltransferase also known as PAC is an enzyme with a molecular mass of approximately 23 kDa. It catalyzes the acetylation of puromycin an antibiotic which inactivates its effect. This protein is a selectable marker and vital tool in molecular biology for creating stably transfected mammalian cells. Expressed mainly in cells where it's artificially introduced PAC grants resistance to puromycin which is useful in selecting cells in which successful genetic manipulations have occurred.

Biological function summary

Puromycin N-acetyltransferase allows researchers to maintain cell populations that carry specific genetic modifications by conferring puromycin resistance. This makes it instrumental in the production of genetically modified cell lines used to study various cellular processes. PAC is not part of a protein complex but it acts independently to modify puromycin preventing its binding to ribosomes and subsequent inhibition of protein synthesis.

Pathways

Researchers utilize Puromycin N-acetyltransferase in various metabolic and signaling pathways for in vitro studies. While not directly involved in these pathways PAC can modulate gene expression systems linked to the target pathways in synthetic biology applications. For instance it is utilized alongside proteins like green fluorescent protein (GFP) in dual-selection systems to investigate gene function and protein interactions within the cell.

Puromycin N-acetyltransferase is not directly associated with any specific pathological condition due to its introduction into cells through laboratory settings. However its role in gene expression studies makes it an invaluable tool in researching disorders such as cancer and genetic diseases where it serves as a marker to select genetically engineered cells. The use of PAC alongside proteins involved in these diseases helps in understanding the genetic drivers and potential therapeutic targets.