Ubiquilin-1 is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''UBQLN1''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

. Ubiquilins contain two domains, an

N-terminal The N-terminus (also known as the amino-terminus, NH2-terminus, N-terminal end or amine-terminus) is the start of a protein or polypeptide, referring to the free amine group (-NH2) located at the end of a polypeptide. Within a peptide, the ami ...

ubiquitin-like domain Ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are a family of small proteins involved in post-translational modification of other proteins in a cell, usually with a regulatory function. The UBL protein family derives its name from the first member of the class ...

and a

C-terminal The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...

ubiquitin-associated domain. They physically associate with both

proteasome Proteasomes are protein complexes which degrade unneeded or damaged proteins by proteolysis, a chemical reaction that breaks peptide bonds. Enzymes that help such reactions are called proteases. Proteasomes are part of a major mechanism by w ...

s and

ubiquitin ligase A ubiquitin ligase (also called an E3 ubiquitin ligase) is a protein that recruits an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that has been loaded with ubiquitin, recognizes a protein substrate, and assists or directly catalyzes the transfer of ubiquitin ...

s, and thus are thought to functionally link the

ubiquitination Ubiquitin is a small (8.6 kDa) regulatory protein found in most tissues of eukaryotic organisms, i.e., it is found ''ubiquitously''. It was discovered in 1975 by Gideon Goldstein and further characterized throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. Fo ...

machinery to the proteasome to effect ''in vivo''

protein degradation Proteolysis is the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. Uncatalysed, the hydrolysis of peptide bonds is extremely slow, taking hundreds of years. Proteolysis is typically catalysed by cellular enzymes called protease ...

Functions

Ubiquilin-1 is associated with

and aggregation of

misfolded protein Protein folding is the physical process by which a protein chain is translated to its native three-dimensional structure, typically a "folded" conformation by which the protein becomes biologically functional. Via an expeditious and reproduci ...

s, and may be involved in

neurodegenerative disease A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

s. Ubiquilin-1 has been reported to act as a

molecular chaperone In molecular biology, molecular chaperones are proteins that assist the conformational folding or unfolding of large proteins or macromolecular protein complexes. There are a number of classes of molecular chaperones, all of which function to assi ...

for

amyloid precursor protein Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane protein expressed in many biological tissue, tissues and concentrated in the synapses of neurons. It functions as a cell surface receptor and has been implicated as a regulator ...

(APP), a protein associated with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. * Ubiquilin-1 was first identified through its interactions with

presenilin Presenilins are a family of related multi-pass transmembrane proteins which constitute the catalytic subunits of the gamma-secretase intramembrane protease protein complex. They were first identified in screens for mutations causing early onset ...

s. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.

Related proteins

Human UBQLN1 shares a high degree of similarity with related ubiquilins including

UBQLN2 Ubiquilin-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''UBQLN2'' gene. Function This gene encodes a ubiquitin-like protein ( ubiquilin) that shares high degree of similarity with related products in yeast, rat and frog. Ubiquilins contain ...

and

UBQLN4 Ubiquilin 4 is a protein in humans that is encoded by the UBQLN4 gene. Ubiquilin 4 regulates proteasomal protein degradation. Similarity to Other Proteins Human UBQLN4 shares a high degree of similarity with related ubiquilins including UBQLN1 ...

Interactions

UBQLN1 has been shown to

interact Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using innovative strategies to advocate for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organizati ...

with *

HERPUD1 Homocysteine-responsive endoplasmic reticulum-resident ubiquitin-like domain member 1 protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''HERPUD1'' gene. The accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers the ER ...

, *

MTOR The mammalian target of sirolimus, rapamycin (mTOR), also referred to as the mechanistic target of rapamycin, and sometimes called FK506-binding protein 12-rapamycin-associated protein 1 (FRAP1), is a kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''MT ...

, *

P4HB Protein disulfide-isomerase, also known as the beta- subunit of prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4HB), is an enzyme that in humans encoded by the ''P4HB'' gene. The human ''P4HB'' gene is localized in chromosome 17q25. Unlike other prolyl 4-hydroxylase fami ...

, * PSEN1 *

PSEN2 Presenilin-2 is a protein that (in humans) is encoded by the ''PSEN2'' gene. Function Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with an inherited form of the disease carry mutations in the presenilin proteins ( PSEN1; PSEN2) or the amyloid precursor ...

, and *

UBE3A Ubiquitin-protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) also known as E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E6AP) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''UBE3A'' gene. This enzyme is involved in targeting proteins for degradation within cells. Protein degradation ...

. * TMCO6,

Functions

Related proteins

Interactions

References

Further reading