CONTROL OF GENE-EXPRESSION BY PROTEOLYSIS

The proteasome and the small protein ubiquitin are key elements in the intracellular pathway of general protein degradation. Recent evidence shows that the proteasome and other less well defined cytoplasmic pro teases can participate in specific events which control inducible gene expression. A number of eukaryotic transcriptional regulators, includ ing NF-kappa B/I kappa B, p53, c-Jun, Notch, sterol regulated element binding proteins and MAT2 alpha, have recently been shown to be regula ted by proteolytic events, a regulation which results in the activatio n or inactivation of gene expression.