Ubiquitin is a post-translational modification to proteins that has many cellular functions. Ubiquitin is added to proteins in chains that can be linked together in different ways. A particular type of ubiquitin chain, so-called Met1-linked ubiquitin, is involved in intracellular signalling in response to inflammation and infection. Researchers are trying to understand more about how these Met-1-linked ubiquitin chains are assembled and disassembled to regulate immune signalling and host responses to pathogens, and how they may be targeted therapeutically.
In this review article published in Cell Death and Differentiation, Berthe Katrine Fiil and Ludwig Oxford’s Mads Gyrd-Hansen summarise what is currently known and identify some of the key remaining questions in the field.