Arabidopsis Homologues to the LRAT a Possible Substrate for New Plant-Based Anti-Cancer Drug Development

This article describes how an NC gene family has been identified in the genome of the Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) by homology to the human Lecithin Retinal Acyl Transferase (LRAT) and the picornavirus 2A protein. The Arabidopsis proteins contain two motifs identified in a vast variety of organisms, an H-Box and an NC. Among related proteins are the C. elegans EGL-26, a regulator protein of cell morphogenesis in the vulva region, and human proteins that might be related to cell proliferation or development. Human homologues include HRAS-like tumour suppressors, the Tazarotene-induced gene 3 (TIG3), and a deSumoylating Isopeptidase (PNAS-4) that induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Preservation of the two motifs observed in the Arabidopsis proteins in homology to tumour suppressors, and the conservation of residues important for the function of the LRAT amongst the Arabidopsis homologues can be indicative not only of the importance of these domains for the function of the plant proteins but can also reveal a new candidate group for the design of plant-based tumour-targeting drug development.