ubiquitin

American  

[yoo-bik-wi-tin] / yuˈbɪk wɪ tɪn /

noun

1. a small protein, present in all eukaryotic cells, that participates in the destruction of defective proteins and in the synthesis of new proteins.

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ubiquitin British  

/ juːˈbɪkwɪtɪn /

noun

1. biochem a small polypeptide, found in most eukaryotic cells, that combines with other proteins to make them susceptible to degradation

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Other Word Forms

• ubiquitination
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ubiquitin

First recorded in 1985–90; ubiquit(ous) + -in ¹

Example Sentences

On the other hand, a DUB enzyme removes the ubiquitin tag from a protein, thereby preventing the protein from being recognized and degraded by a proteosome.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

E3 is an enzyme that transfers the ubiquitin molecule to the target protein, which essentially flags the protein for a proteosome to digest it.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

Researchers isolated enzymes used by E. coli and Salmonella to cause food poisoning and other illnesses, and observed how the enzymes interacted with ubiquitin.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2023

This form of ubiquitin helps cells communicate by sending a molecular message -- communication that remains poorly understood.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2023

Usually in plants, in fact across all multicellular organisms, this recycling of proteins in the proteasome is dependent on a molecule called ubiquitin.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2023