This paper reports a new way to add a Ubiquitin-like modifier on a protein via click chemistry. Ubiquitin-like (Ubl) modifiers are important in the regulation of a lot of biological pathways and while the specific introduction of a Ubl modifier at a certain site of a protein would be interesting, it is really challenging to achieve. They developed a Ubl-modified enzyme using unnatural amino acid mutagenesis and click chemistry, they selectively introduced a small ubiquitin-like modifier at position 14 of Ubc9.
The click chemistry and mutagenesis is neat, but what are they hoping to do with attached UBesque modifier?
ReplyDeleteThe communication leaves me hanging with no hint on what they are moving toward. Do they want to degrade proteins with it? Seems like a lot of work if that is the case...
I think the authors intended for the addition of the Ubl modifiers to be used for more than just degradation. Although the paper talked mostly about the degradation pathway involving E1, E2, and E3, other pathways affected by ubiquitin modification (transport, repair) could benefit from specific placement of ubiquitin on a target protein.
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