Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Assays for the Degradation of Misfolded Proteins in Cells
Published on: August 28, 2016
A cellular system that degrades misfolded proteins and protects against neurodegeneration
Lili Guo1, Benoit I Giasson2, Alex Glavis-Bloom1
1Department of Cancer Biology and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Abstract:
Misfolded proteins compromise cellular function and cause disease. How these proteins are detected and degraded is not well understood. Here we show that PML/TRIM19 and the SUMO-dependent ubiquitin ligase RNF4 act together to promote the degradation of misfolded proteins in the mammalian cell nucleus. PML selectively interacts with misfolded proteins through distinct substrate recognition sites and conjugates these proteins with the small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) through its SUMO ligase activity. SUMOylated misfolded proteins are then recognized and ubiquitinated by RNF4 and are subsequently targeted for proteasomal degradation. We further show that PML deficiency exacerbates polyglutamine (polyQ) disease in a mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (SCA1). These findings reveal a mammalian system that removes misfolded proteins through sequential SUMOylation and ubiquitination and define its role in protection against protein-misfolding diseases.
Related Concept Videos
The Proteasome
In this pathway, the target proteins are first tagged with small proteins called ubiquitin. This involves participation of a series of enzymes including— E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3...
The Proteasome
In this pathway, the target proteins are first tagged with small proteins called ubiquitin. A series of enzymes carry out the ubiquitination of the target proteins - E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3...
Export of Misfolded Proteins out of the ER
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
The Unfolded Protein Response

