Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

In Vitro Ubiquitination and Deubiquitination Assays of Nucleosomal Histones
Published on: July 25, 2019
Changing the ubiquitin landscape during viral manipulation of the DNA damage response
Matthew D Weitzman1, Caroline E Lilley, Mira S Chaurushiya
1Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. weitzman@salk.edu
Abstract:
Viruses often induce signaling through the same cellular cascades that are activated by damage to the cellular genome. Signaling triggered by viral proteins or exogenous DNA delivered by viruses can be beneficial or detrimental to viral infection. Viruses have therefore evolved to dissect the cellular DNA damage response pathway during infection, often marking key cellular regulators with ubiquitin to induce their degradation or change their function. Signaling controlled by ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins has recently emerged as key regulator of the cellular DNA damage response. Situated at the interface between DNA damage signaling and the ubiquitin system, viruses can reveal key convergence points in this important cellular pathway. In this review, we examine how viruses harness the diversity of the cellular ubiquitin system to modulate the DNA damage signaling pathway. We discuss the implications of viral infiltration of this pathway for both the transcriptional program of the virus and for the cellular response to DNA damage.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein.
Viral Mutations
Translesion DNA Polymerases
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
Overview of DNA Repair
Chemically...

