Proteasomes: destruction as a programme

Proteasomes are large multi-subunit protease complexes that selectively degrade intracellular proteins. Most of the proteins removed by these proteases are tagged for destruction by ubiquitination. Proteasomes have a role to play in controlling cellular processes, such as metabolism and the cell cycle, through signal-mediated proteolysis of key enzymes and regulatory proteins. They also operate in the stress response, by removing abnormal proteins, and in the immune response, by generating antigenic peptides.