How membrane asymmetry regulates ADAM17 sheddase function

Asymmetrical distribution of lipids in the cell membrane is a fundamental feature of all eukaryotic cells. The most important negatively charged phospholipids phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol species reside almost exclusively in the cytoplasmic leaflet, where they serve as essential co-factors for many membrane-bound enzymes including protein kinase C, phosphatase PTEN, tyrosine kinase c-Src, and MARCKS.1 Clusters of basic amino acid residues draw the proteins via electrostatic interactions to the lipid, enabling them to exert their function at the cytosolic membrane face.