Phosphorylation Switches in Protein Control

Protein control often depends on chemical changes that alter a protein’s charge, shape, and conformation. These changes can include phosphorylation, acetylation, glycosylation, nitrosylation, ubiquitination, lipidation, methylation, and proteolysis. In cells, these modifications are usually driven by enzymes.

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are chemical modifications where enzymes add or remove a phosphate group from an amino acid residue on a protein substrate. These chemical changes can regulate the function of the target protein through alterations in conformation or activity.

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