Ubiquitination in the ERAD Process

In this review, we focus on the ubiquitination process within the endoplasmic reticulum associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway. Approximately one third of all synthesized proteins in a cell are channeled into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen or are incorporated into the ER membrane. Since all newly synthesized proteins enter the ER in an unfolded manner, folding must occur within the ER lumen or co-translationally, rendering misfolding events a serious threat. To prevent the accumulation of misfolded protein in the ER, proteins that fail the quality control undergo retrotranslocation into the cytosol where they proceed with ubiquitination and degradation. The wide variety of misfolded targets requires on the one hand a promiscuity of the ubiquitination process and on the other hand a fast and highly processive mechanism. We present the various ERAD components involved in the ubiquitination process including the different E2 conjugating enzymes, E3 ligases, and E4 factors. The resulting K48-linked and K11-linked ubiquitin chains do not only represent a signal for degradation by the proteasome but are also recognized by the AAA+ ATPase Cdc48 and get in the process of retrotranslocation modified by enzymes bound to Cdc48. Lastly we discuss the conformations adopted in particular by K48-linked ubiquitin chains and their importance for degradation.