A special issue of Essays in Biochemistry on proteasome and protein degradation.
Sahu I, Glickman MH
Plant Signaling
The same protein-disposal machinery that researchers are now targeting for cancer drugs also controls how plants defend themselves against pests and pathogens — advances here could eventually reach gardeners as disease-resistant crops that need fewer chemical sprays.
Inside every living cell — plant or animal — there is a tiny shredding machine that destroys old or damaged proteins so the cell stays healthy. Scientists from across Asia gathered to share what they've learned about how this shredder works, what switches it on and off, and how faults in the system lead to cancer, nerve disease, and other illnesses. Plants use this same system to grow properly and fight off infections, so understanding it better has real consequences for agriculture and horticulture.
Key Findings
The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) regulates plant development alongside animal immunity, gene expression, and disease pathways including cancer and neurodegeneration.
Two major international conferences in Asia (Shenzhen, China, late 2024 and Chennai, India, early 2025) produced a coordinated body of review literature underscoring rapid growth of UPS research across China, India, Israel, Korea, and Japan.
Emerging therapeutic tools such as PROTACs (molecules engineered to hijack the cellular shredder to destroy disease-causing proteins on demand) are positioning the UPS as a precision medicine platform.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A special journal issue compiles recent research on the cellular recycling system that tags and destroys unwanted or damaged proteins, highlighting how this system governs plant development, immunity, and disease, and how it could be targeted for new medical treatments.
Abstract Preview
Research on the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is expanding exponentially across the subcontinents of Asia, including China, India, Israel, Korea, and Japan, as evidenced by recent conferences h...
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