The ubiquitin system, disease and drug discuvary - Essay Example

Ub as a protein is heat stable in nature that formulate into a compact global structure. Ub can be seen in all cells and has the capability to exist in free form or with other cells in a complex nature. When existing with other cell it is attached to protein in a covalent state along the glycine at the C-terminal end of ubiquitin and lysine. However, single ubiquitin molecules can be seen conjugated with lysine of these protein.Ub has a role to play in many cell processes. For example, during the GI phase of mitosis,Ub is coupled to the cyclin protein, thus play an important role in regulating the cell cycle.

The coupling of Ub is also seen in, DNA repair, the regulation of transcription, programming cell death and embryogenesis. It is a family of genes which encodes Ub and has fusion proteins as it translation products. The protein in Ub exists in a linear chain of amino acids. This linear chain of amino acids can degrade over time and it is called protein - turnover. The concentration of protein in the cell is determined by the balance between the synthesis and protein degradation in a cell. It has been understood by studies on protein turnover rate that some protein are short lived where as others live for long duration.

Majority of protein in the cell is comprised of long lived protein. However, the main regulatory are the shorlived protein but they are abnormal proteins. The short-lived protein are easily prone to degradation because they get partially unfold. The Ub by regulating degradation of certain protein regulate the protein turnover in a cell. This kind of regulatory action is necessary in a cell. The regulating protein degradation has the ability to avoid a protein which regulates other necessary function in a cell.

This kind of control is necessary in a cell as the disposal of this kind of regulatory protein helps in the cessation of processing of the regulatory protein. Inactivation of protein is also performed by