St. Jude study gives new insights into how cells accessorize their proteins Sep 19, 2008
"The ubiquitination machinery is critical for the cell's proteins to be able to function as necessary in a given environment. One of the major functions of ubiquitin is to mark a protein for disposal when its job is done," said Brenda Schulman, Ph ... "Understanding ubiquitination can give us important knowledge about such biological processes as cell division, embryonic development and immune function." Schulman is the paper's senior author ... "Basic insights into ubiquitination could... (EurekAlert!)
Protein Combination Triggers 9-1-1 To Make Cells Fight Cancer-causing agents May 20, 2008
The study demonstrated that a process known as ubiquitination, sometimes called the "kiss of death" for proteins, can serve a completely different function. Xiao and a team of graduate students found that ubiquitination can actually be used to activate the 9-1-1 protein complex, warning cells to stop dividing with damaged DNA that leads to cancer. (Science Daily)
Protein Inhibits Ebola From Reaching Out To Infect Neighboring Cells Mar 7, 2008
Addressing the molecular mechanism of this inhibition, the researchers demonstrated that ISG15 interacts with Nedd4 ubiquitin ligase and inhibits ubiquitination of VP40, thus blocking budding of VP40 VLPs. These data provide evidence of antiviral activity of ISG15 against Ebola virus and suggest a mechanism of action involving disruption of Nedd4 function and subsequent ubiquitination of VP40. (Science Daily)
What's been causing your knee to ache? Smurfs! Oct 19, 2007
The enzymes are called "Smad Ubiquitination Regulatory Factors, or, smurfs, but unlike the small, loveable blue cartoon characters, researchers believe that a particular form of these regulatory enzymes, smurf2, might in fact be responsible for Americas leading cause of disability. We believe that smurf2 controls whether or not a cartilage cell matures and calcifies into hard bone, which is a very good thing when turned on in those areas of the body where we are supposed to have hard bone,... (EurekAlert!)
An AIDS-related virus reveals more ways to cause cancer, Penn researchers find Oct 9, 2007
The large complex of ICN, Sel10, and other factors is marked for degradation by a process called ubiquitination, says Robertson. In normal uninfected cells, the level of ICN, and thus cell growth and proliferation, is fine-tuned by regulating ICN degradation. (EurekAlert!)
How Key Protein Stops Inflammation Aug 15, 2007
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine recently identified how a regulatory protein called Bcl-3 helps to control the body s inflammation response to infection by interfering a critical biochemical process called ubiquitination. While previous studies suggested Bcl-3 plays a role in immunity, this is the first report that Bcl-3 regulates inflammation by blocking ubiquitination ... Ubiquitination is an intracellular system of checks and balances, where cellular proteins... (Science Daily)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Aug 13, 2007
Potential areas of research include top-down proteomics, posttranslational modification analysis (primarily phosphorylation and ubiquitination), and quantitative mass spectrometry. Requirements: Ph. (Nature News Service)
Major breakthrough in understanding how HIV interferes with infected cell division Jul 13, 2007
This protein complex, designated DDB1-CUL4-VprBP, is involved in a process called ubiquitination. Ubiquitination is a mechanism by which a small protein called ubiquitin is conjugated to cellular proteins in order to modulate their biological activity or induce their degradation. (EurekAlert!)
Karmanos Researchers Identify Pathway for Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Apr 17, 2007
Their study demonstrated that protein ubiquitination and degradation are critical players in the spread of mesothelioma. After studying 241 genes involved in the UPP pathway, Wali's group determined 33 genes were differentially expressed among epithelioid and biphasic histotypes. (PR Newswire)
Novel regulation of the common tumor suppressor PTEN Jan 12, 2007
The second study by Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi of Memorial Sloan-Kettering and colleagues found that the ubiquitination of PTEN by NEDD4-1 also regulates another important aspect of PTEN, its cellular localization ... Since ubiquitination has both positive (single tag) and negative (repetitive tagging) effects, a class of drugs, the proteasome inhibitors, that selectively blocks the degrading effects of ubiquitination, should now be studied as possible treatments for cancers with PTEN mutations. (EurekAlert!)
