Ubiquitin Proteasome System

The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is highly conserved system of the cell that performs many essential functions composed as a cascade of many enzymes that tag the C-terminal of ubiquitin (a highly conserved protein) to target proteins. Frequently, these chains of poly-ubiquitins are built on target proteins. For example, chains of lysine 63 poly-ubiquitins on damaged or miss-folded proteins lead to degradation of proteins or organelles such as mitochondria by lysosomes (mitophagy). Lysine 48 linked poly-ubiquitin chains promote target protein degradation by proteasome. Such as degradation of repressor protein in cell nucleus that unleashes PGC1 α a transcription factor that transcribes all the nuclear mitochondrial genes and leads to mitobiogenesis. Myto Health has established a tool box of affinity matrices to identify all types of ubiquitin signatures that are hallmarks of disease in humans. This toolbox is employed to establish to discover neurodegenerative biomarkers from blood. The toolbox is essential for developing assays for ubiquitin ligases and de-ubiquitylases (DUBs). The ligase toolbox is exploited to discover small molecules drugs that promote mitophagy and mitobiogenesis as well as discover natural products, nutraceuticals that improve mitochondrial health and aging.