First author Maximilian Fottner and Kathrin Lang in their laboratory. (Image: A. Battenberg / TUM)
Human cells have a sophisticated regulatory system at their disposal: labeling proteins with the small molecule ubiquitin. In a first, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded in marking proteins with ubiquitin in a targeted manner, in test tubes as well as in living cells. The patented procedure opens the door to exploring the inner workings of this vital regulatory system. Plants, fungi, animals and even humans have it: the protein ubiquitin. It comprises a sequence of 76 amino acids, making it a relatively small biomolecule. But its influence is far-reaching: the type, position, and number of ubiquitin molecules bound to proteins determine their stability, function, and location within the cell. "Virtually every process in the cell is directly or indirectly affected by ubiquitin.
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