Role of Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation System in Plant Biology

Ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation is an important mechanism to control protein load in the cells. Ubiquitin binds to a protein on lysine residue and usually promotes its degradation through 26S proteasome system. Abnormal proteins and regulators of many processes, are targeted for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. It allows cells to maintain the response to cellular level signals and altered environmental conditions. The ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation system plays a key role in the plant biology, including abiotic stress, immunity, and hormonal signaling by interfering with key components of these pathways. The involvement of the ubiquitin system in many vital processes led scientists to explore more about the ubiquitin machinery and most importantly its targets. In this review, we have summarized recent discoveries of the plant ubiquitin system and its involvement in critical processes of plant biology.