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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

In Vitro Analysis of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Function
Published on: May 14, 2021
The Ball and Chain of Polyubiquitin Structures
Caterina Alfano1, Serena Faggiano2, Annalisa Pastore1
1Department of Clinical and Basic Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Ubiquitylation is a post-translational modification implicated in several different cellular pathways. The possibility of forming chains through covalent crosslinking between any of the seven lysines, or the initial methionine, and the C terminus of another moiety provides ubiquitin (Ub) with special flexibility in its function in signalling. Here, we review the knowledge accumulated over the past several years about the functions and structural features of polyUb chains. This analysis reveals the need to understand further the functional role of some of the linkages and the structural code that determines recognition of polyUbs by protein partners.
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