Functional implications of protein isoprenylation in plants

Plant protein isoprenylation has received considerable attention in the pas t decade. Since the initial discovery of isoprenylated plant proteins and t heir respective protein isoprenyltransferases, several research groups have endeavored to understand the physiological significance of this process in plants. Various experimental approaches, including inhibitor studies, syst ematic methods of protein identification, and mutant analyses in Arabidopsi s thaliana, have enabled these groups to elucidate important roles for isop renylated proteins in cell cycle control, signal transduction, cytoskeletal organization, and intracellular vesicle transport. This article reviews re cent progress in understanding the functional implications of protein isopr enylation in plants. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.