Despite being one of the most common protein modifications in eukaryotes, the cellular effect of N-terminal acetylation remains cryptic. Four decades ago, the nature of the N terminus was linked to protein stability. In this Comment, we discuss an emerging major role of N-terminal acetylation in shielding the proteome from degradation.
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Arnesen, T., Kjosås, I. & McTiernan, N. Protein N-terminal acetylation is entering the degradation end game. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 25, 335–336 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-024-00723-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-024-00723-1