The Molecular Basis for Amino-Terminal Acetylation by NAT Proteins Hardback

Glen Liszczak's thesis provides readers with a detailed investigation into the molecular basis for protein acetylation by N-amino terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) enzymes.

As part of the study, Liszczak describes how he determined the X-ray crystal structure of the N-Met_Val- specific human Naa50p NAT bound to a substrate peptide fragment and cofactor.

Together with mutational and enzymatic experiments, this work reveals the molecular basis for N-amino specific acetylation and substrate specificity by NAT enzymes, how an auxiliary subunit alters the active site of a NAT catalytic subunit and how NAT enzymes evolve.

Prior to Liszczak's thesis work, the molecular basis for NAT function was unknown.

Therefore, these studies have important implications for understanding the activity of the NAT enzymes, for how regulatory subunits modulate the activity of the broader family of protein acetyltransferases and for developing NAT-specific small molecule inhibitors for therapy.