Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway

Abstract

The 26S proteasome is responsible for the rapid destruction of damaged polypeptides and the controlled removal of critical regulatory proteins. This ATP‐dependent system is highly regulated and generally recognizes and processes substrates covalently attached to polyubiquitin chains. In eukaryotes, the proteasome is also essential for the cellular immune response as it generates most of the peptides used for class 1 MHC presentation. We review herein; the ubiquitin tagging system, the general architecture of the 26S proteasome, as well as some none canonical functions of the 26S proteasome.