• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

Dundee lab solves HOIL-1 mystery

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 17, 2019
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The mysterious function of a key protein has been revealed following a breakthrough by University of Dundee scientists

The mysterious function of a key protein has been revealed following a breakthrough by University of Dundee scientists.

HOIL-1 is a component of the Linear Ubiquitin Assembly Complex (LUBAC) which lies at the heart of the mechanism that determines whether the cells of our body will survive or die. Now researchers working in the laboratory of Professor Sir Philip Cohen in the University’s Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation Unit (MRC-PPU) have found that HOIL-1 operates in tandem with a second component of LUBAC to form ubiquitin chains.

The research, which has just been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has also revealed that the ubiquitin chains are joined to other proteins by an unusual mechanism.

Sir Philip said, “It’s been known since its discovery that HOIL-1 looks like an E3 Ligase, but nobody knew what it actually did in cells. Now we know.

“One thing it does is to start new ubiquitin chains. HOIL-1 puts the first ubiquitin on, while a second component of LUBAC, called HOIP, attaches additional ubiquitins to form a ubiquitin chain.

“Remarkably, it turns out that HOIL-1 joins ubiquitin to proteins by forming ester bonds. It is only the second time that this type of ubiquitin linkage has been detected, the first example being discovered here in Dundee only last year by Dr Satpal Virdee. It is incredible that two people working next to each other have come across the first two examples of this type of protein connection.”

Since its discovery in Japan around 13 years ago, LUBAC has turned out to be a regulator of the body’s defence system that allows it to combat infection by microbes, such as bacteria and viruses. A key role of LUBAC is to suppress two forms of cell death called apoptosis and necroptosis, thereby ensuring cell survival.

Sir Philip says that although his lab’s new findings represent a significant breakthrough, more research is needed before it becomes clear whether new drugs can be developed to treat diseases by modulating the activity of LUBAC.

###

Media Contact
Jonathan Watson
[email protected]

Tags: BiochemistryBiologyCell BiologyChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesMolecular BiologyMolecular PhysicsPharmaceutical SciencesPharmaceutical/Combinatorial Chemistry
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Diastereodivergent Routes to Multi-Substituted Cycloalkanes

Diastereodivergent Routes to Multi-Substituted Cycloalkanes

August 5, 2025
UofL Study Reveals Amplified Liver Damage from Combined Exposure to Alcohol and “Forever Chemicals”

UofL Study Reveals Amplified Liver Damage from Combined Exposure to Alcohol and “Forever Chemicals”

August 5, 2025

Zero-Dimensional Octahedral Metal Halides Synthesized via Solvent Incorporation

August 5, 2025

New Study Reveals How Diatoms Thrive and Illuminate the Southern Ocean

August 4, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    72 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    61 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Predicting Colorectal Cancer Using Lifestyle Factors

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    47 shares
    Share 19 Tweet 12

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

On-Chip All-Dielectric Metasurface Creates Topological Exceptional Point

SON-Driven Nuclear Speckle Repair Eases Proteinopathies

Engineering B Cells to Combat and Investigate Disease

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.