Unraveling the complexity of ubiquitin signaling

Protein ubiquitination, the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to target proteins, has emerged as one of the most prevalent posttranslational modifications (PTMs), regulating nearly every cellular pathway. The diversity of signaling associated with this particular PTM stems from the myriad ways in which a target protein can be modified by ubiquitin, e.g., monoubiquitin, multi-monoubiquitin, and polyubiquitin linkages. In this Review, we focus on developments in both enzymatic and chemical methods that engender ubiquitin with new chemical and physical properties. Moreover, we highlight how these methods have enabled studies directed toward (i) characterizing enzymes responsible for reversing the ubiquitin modification, (ii) understanding the influence of ubiquitin on protein function and crosstalk with other PTMs, and (iii) uncovering the impact of polyubiquitin chain linkage and length on downstream signaling events.