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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Using Phage Display to Develop Ubiquitin Variant Modulators for E3 Ligases
Published on: August 27, 2021
Conjugation of the ubiquitin family proteins to phospholipids
Jun-Ichi Sakamaki1, Noboru Mizushima1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Conjugation of Atg8-family proteins to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is important for autophagosome formation. PE conjugation has been thought to be specific to Atg8 among the ubiquitin-family proteins. However, this dogma has not been experimentally verified. Our recent study revealed that ubiquitin is also conjugated to PE on endosomes and the vacuole (or lysosomes). Other ubiquitin-like proteins, such as NEDD8 and ISG15, also covalently bind to phospholipids. We propose that conjugation to phospholipids could be a common feature of the ubiquitin family.
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