The posttranslational methylation of the α-N-terminal amino group of proteins was first documented over 40 years ago, but the functional significance of this modification has been underexplored relative to lysine and arginine methylation. Increasing reports implicates α-N-terminal methylation as a widespread and critical regulator of mitosis, chromatin interactions, DNA repair, and translation fidelity. Here, we summarize advances in the current understanding of protein α-N-terminal methylation biological functions and mechanisms across eukaryotic organisms. Also, we describe the recent literature on substrate recognition and the discovery of potent and selective inhibitors for protein N-terminal methyltransferases. Finally, we summarize the emergent crosstalk between α-N-terminal methylation and other N-terminal modifications.

中文翻译：

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蛋白质N端甲基化的过去，现在和观点。

蛋白质的α-N端氨基的翻译后甲基化最早是在40年前记录的，但是相对于赖氨酸和精氨酸甲基化，这种修饰的功能意义尚未得到充分研究。越来越多的报道暗示α-N-末端甲基化是有丝分裂，染色质相互作用，DNA修复和翻译保真度的广泛且关键的调节剂。在这里，我们总结了目前对跨真核生物的蛋白质α-N-末端甲基化生物学功能和机制的理解方面的进展。此外，我们描述了有关底物识别的最新文献以及蛋白质N端甲基转移酶的有效和选择性抑制剂的发现。最后，我们总结了α-N端甲基化与其他N端修饰之间出现的串扰。