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Eric Strieter

Eric Strieter

Seminar
Thu, Sep. 18, 2014, 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Frick Chemistry Laboratory, Taylor Auditorium
Host: Dorothea Fiedler

The human genome encodes approximately 100 deubiquitinating enzymes (also known as DUBs). These enzymes regulate a broad swath of cell and organismal biology by removing the small protein ubiquitin (Ub) from target proteins or trimming Ub oligomers. Despite the importance of DUBs, there are fundamental gaps in our knowledge regarding how they work. The family of DUBs known as the Ub C-terminal hydrolases (UCHs) embodies this situation. Biochemical data suggests UCHs catalyze the removal of small C-terminal adducts from Ub, whereas data from cellular studies implicates these enzymes in the disassembly of Ub oligomers. Recently, our laboratory developed a straightforward chemical approach towards the synthesis of a wide array of ubiquitin oligomers. Using these oligomers to probe the function of DUBs, we discovered two members of the UCH family, UCH37 and UCHL3, selectively hydrolyze Ub chains in which a single Ub subunit is modified with two Ub molecules through two lysine residues (herein referred to as branched Ub chains). Considering the importance of UCHL3 and UCH37 in cellular differentiation, development, and motility, our results suggest branched Ub chains play far more important roles in biology than ever appreciated. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to understand the molecular details of this unique biochemical activity.