What: "One of ubiquitin's important functions is to rid cells of old or damaged proteins. Deshaies likens unwanted proteins to milk and meat that are removed from a supermarket when they reach their expiration dates. Ubiquitin is like a brightly colored sticker placed on packages that need to be pulled from the shelves. If these products were not removed, the supermarket would fill up with spoiled food. Similarly, cells would become clogged with outdated proteins if they had no way to remove them. However, they need to differentiate unwanted proteins from those that are still needed. About a third of the proteins in human cells are in flux, so ubiquitin "stickers" are applied constantly."

Writer: Ray Deshaies

LCC:

Where:

Date: May 15 2013 9:30 PM