Post-translational myristoylation at the cross roads of cell death, autophagy and neurodegeneration

In a little more than a decade, post-translational myristoylation (PTMyr) has become an established post-translational modification during cell death. It involves the addition of the fatty acid myristate to newly exposed N-terminal glycines following caspase cleavage. It promotes membrane binding and relocalization of functional protein domains released by caspase cleavage during apoptosis, or programmed cell death. However, as the requirement of caspase cleavage has expanded beyond just cell death, it has become apparent that PTMyr may play a role in cell survival, differentiation and now autophagy. Herein, we describe how myristoylation may play a role in autophagy with an emphasis on PTMyr.