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ADP-ribosylation factor(Arf)/Arf-like (Arl) small GTPases Arf (ADP-ribosylation factor)/Arl (Arf-like) small GTPases. Arf proteins are activators of phospholipase D isoforms. Unlike Ras proteins they lack cysteine residues at their C-termini and therefore are unlikely to be prenylated. Arfs are N-terminally myristoylated. Members of the Arf family are regulators of vesicle formation in intracellular traffic that interact reversibly with membranes of the secretory and endocytic compartments in a GTP-dependent manner. They depart from other small GTP-binding proteins by a unique structural device, interswitch toggle, that implements front-back communication from N-terminus to the nucleotide binding site. Arf-like (Arl) proteins are close relatives of the Arf, but only Arl1 has been shown to function in membrane traffic like the Arf proteins. Arl2 has an unrelated function in the folding of native tubulin, and Arl4 may function in the nucleus. Most other Arf family proteins are so far relatively poorly characterized. Thus, despite their significant sequence homologies, Arf family proteins may regulate unrelated functions.
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