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Updated: Sep 3, 2025

In Vitro Analysis of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Function
Published on: May 14, 2021
Function and regulation of ULK1: From physiology to pathology
Ze Rong1, Kaifeng Zheng1, Jun Chen1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Department of Chemoradiotherapy, the Affiliated People's Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315040, China.
None:
The expression of ULK1, a core protein of autophagy, is closely related to autophagic activity. Numerous studies have shown that pathological abnormal expression of ULK1 is associated with various human diseases such as neurological disorders, infections, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases and cancers. In addition, new advances in the regulation of ULK1 have been identified. Furthermore, targeting ULK1 as a therapeutic strategy for diseases is gaining attention as new corresponding activators or inhibitors are being developed. In this review, we describe the structure and regulation of ULK1 as well as the current targeted activators and inhibitors. Moreover, we highlight the pathological disorders of ULK1 expression and its critical role in human diseases.
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