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Updated: May 25, 2026
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In-vitro Reconstitution of Bacterial Ubiquitination and VCP/p97-mediated Elimination
Published on: January 2, 2026
Emerging functions of the VCP/p97 AAA-ATPase in the ubiquitin system
Hemmo Meyer1, Monika Bug, Sebastian Bremer
1Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany. hemmo.meyer@uni-due.de
Nature Cell Biology
|February 3, 2012
Summary
The ATP-driven chaperone valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97 is crucial for protein quality control and cellular signaling. New research reveals its expanded roles in autophagy, mitochondrial health, and genome stability, highlighting its importance in cellular stress response and proliferation.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97 is an ATP-dependent chaperone.
- It plays a key role in ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation and cellular signaling.
- VCP/p97 interacts with various partner proteins to manage ubiquitinated proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore novel cellular functions of VCP/p97 beyond its established roles.
- To investigate VCP/p97 involvement in autophagy, endosomal sorting, and mitochondrial protein degradation.
- To elucidate the role of VCP/p97 in chromatin-associated processes and genome stability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized recent molecular biology techniques to uncover new VCP/p97 functions.
- Investigated VCP/p97's role in protein degradation pathways, including autophagy and the proteasome.
- Examined VCP/p97's impact on mitochondrial outer membrane protein turnover and chromatin regulation.
Main Results:
- Discovered VCP/p97's involvement in autophagy and endosomal sorting.
- Demonstrated VCP/p97's function in regulating protein degradation at the outer mitochondrial membrane.
- Elucidated a role for VCP/p97 in chromatin-associated processes, impacting genome stability.
Conclusions:
- VCP/p97's functional repertoire extends to lysosomal degradation pathways.
- VCP/p97 acts dually to protect cells from protein stress and maintain genome integrity.
- These findings underscore VCP/p97's critical importance in cellular homeostasis and proliferation.
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