Vitamin E: A Role in Signal Transduction

Vitamin E modulates the activity of several signal transduction enzymes with consequent alterations of gene expression. At the molecular level, vitamin E may directly bind to these enzymes and compete with their substrates, or it may change their activity by redox regulation. The translocation of several of these enzymes to the plasma membrane is regulated by vitamin E, suggesting the modulation of protein-membrane interactions as a common mechanism for vitamin E action. Enzyme-membrane interactions can be affected by vitamin E by interference with binding to specific membrane lipids or by altering cellular structures such as membrane microdomains (lipid rafts). Moreover, competition by vitamin E for common binding sites within lipid transport proteins may alter the traffic of lipid mediators and thus affect their signaling and enzymatic conversion. In this review, the main effects of vitamin E on enzymes involved in signal transduction are summarized and possible molecular mechanisms leading to enzyme modulation are evaluated.