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Shedding New Light into Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-Like Proteins: Messages for Proteostasis and Organismal Homeostasis

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecules".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 2429

Special Issue Editor

Department of Biochemistry, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon 35015, Korea
Interests: proteome complexity; pathogenesis of cancer; post-translational modifications; ubiquitination; immune diseases; neurodegenerative disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cells have evolved stringent protein quality and quantity-control equipment for maintenance of proteostasis and subsequent organismal homeostasis. Proteostasis is ensured by a complex network of mechanisms by which protein folding, concentration, localization and association with other molecules can be monitored from the synthesis to degradation of proteins. Since the discovery of ubiquitin as a ubiquitous protein that is conjugated to other proteins in 1975, several protein families referred to as ubiquitin-like proteins, including ISG15, SUMO, NEDD8, FAT10, UFM1, ATG8, and ATG12 have been discovered, which are structurally as well as evolutionarily related to ubiquitin. Given that a large variety of code generated via post-translational modifications (PTMs) by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins have pivotal roles in the regulation of various cellular activities, involving protein stability, intracellular trafficking, cell cycle, stress responses, and immune modulation, precisely fine-tuned PTMs by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins are essential to ensure accurate cellular processes and organismal homeostasis. Moreover, a failure in the adequate maintenance of PTMs is closely associated with various human diseases such as cancer, metabolic diseases, neurological disorders and immune diseases, implicating the importance of sophisticated and stringent mechanisms of PTM regulation.

In this Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences, we would like to invite contributions addressing the basic biology and properties of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins but also the multifaceted roles of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins, with an emphasis on their implications in physiology and pathophysiology of various human diseases involving infectious diseases, neurological disorders and cancers. We are also willing to consider the potential of therapeutic interventions for targeting ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins and their machineries for disease treatment.  

Submissions can either be original research papers or reviews. Your contributions will be highly appreciated.

Prof. Dr. Young Joo Jeon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • ubiquitin
  • ubiquitin-like proteins
  • post-translational modifications
  • conjugation
  • deconjugation
  • proteostasis
  • ubiquitin-proteasome system
  • autophagy
  • human diseases
  • targeted therapy

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

15 pages, 1895 KiB  
Review
Recycling and Reshaping—E3 Ligases and DUBs in the Initiation of T Cell Receptor-Mediated Signaling and Response
by Clemens Cammann, Nicole Israel, Hortense Slevogt and Ulrike Seifert
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(7), 3424; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23073424 - 22 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2052
Abstract
T cell activation plays a central role in supporting and shaping the immune response. The induction of a functional adaptive immune response requires the control of signaling processes downstream of the T cell receptor (TCR). In this regard, protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation have [...] Read more.
T cell activation plays a central role in supporting and shaping the immune response. The induction of a functional adaptive immune response requires the control of signaling processes downstream of the T cell receptor (TCR). In this regard, protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation have been extensively studied. In the past decades, further checkpoints of activation have been identified. These are E3 ligases catalyzing the transfer of ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins to protein substrates, as well as specific peptidases to counteract this reaction, such as deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). These posttranslational modifications can critically influence protein interactions by targeting proteins for degradation by proteasomes or mediating the complex formation required for active TCR signaling. Thus, the basic aspects of T cell development and differentiation are controlled by defining, e.g., the threshold of activation in positive and negative selection in the thymus. Furthermore, an emerging role of ubiquitination in peripheral T cell tolerance has been described. Changes in the function and abundance of certain E3 ligases or DUBs involved in T cell homeostasis are associated with the development of autoimmune diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge of E3 enzymes and their target proteins regulating T cell signaling processes and discusses new approaches for therapeutic intervention. Full article
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