title: The ubiquitin-mediated system for intracellular protein degradation.
abstract: Degradation of proteins by the ubiquitin system involves several discrete steps. Initially, multiple molecules of ubiquitin are covalently conjugated to the target substrate in an energy-requiring reaction. The protein thus marked is degraded by a specific ATP-dependent protease, and free and reutilizable ubiquitin is released. In this review we discuss the mechanisms involved in ubiquitin activation, selection of substrates for conjugation, and subsequent degradation of ubiquitin-conjugated proteins in the cell-free system. In addition, we summarize briefly what is currently known of the physiological roles of the ubiquitin system in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Rappaport Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciechanover
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002474:Cell-Free System; D051379:Mice; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins