Protein isoform
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In biology, a protein isoform is a version of a protein with some small differences, usually a splice variant or the product of some posttranslational modification. A good number of isoforms are formed because of presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
The discovery of isoforms explains the apparently small number of coding genes revealed in the human genome project: the ability to create catalytically different proteins from the same gene increases the diversity of the genome. Isoforms are readily described and discovered by microarray studies and cDNA libraries.
[edit] Glycoforms
A glycoform is an isoform where different versions of a glycoprotein have different polysaccharides attached to them, by either posttranslational or cotranslational modifications.
[edit] Enzymes
- Creatine kinase, the presence of which in the blood can be used as an aid in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, exists in 2 isoforms.
- Hyaluronan synthase, the enzyme responsible for the production of hyaluronan, has three isoforms in mammalian cells.
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