| map04141 |
Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum |
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a subcellular organelle where proteins are folded with the help of lumenal chaperones. Newly synthesized peptides enter the ER via the sec61 pore and are glycosylated. Correctly folded proteins are packaged into transport vesicles that shuttle them to the Golgi complex. Misfolded proteins are retained within the ER lumen in complex with molecular chaperones. Proteins that are terminally misfolded bind to BiP and are directed toward degradation through the proteasome in a process called ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER causes ER stress and activates a signaling pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). In certain severe situations, however, the protective mechanisms activated by the UPR are not sufficient to restore normal ER function and cells die by apoptosis. |
| map04120 |
Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis |
Protein ubiquitination plays an important role in eukaryotic cellular processes. It mainly functions as a signal for 26S proteasome dependent protein degradation. The addition of ubiquitin to proteins being degraded is performed by a reaction cascade consisting of three enzymes, named E1 (ubiquitin activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin conjugating enzyme), and E3 (ubiquitin ligase). Each E3 has specificity to its substrate, or proteins to be targeted by ubiquitination. Many E3s are discovered in eukaryotes and they are classified into four types: HECT type, U-box type, single RING-finger type, and multi-subunit RING-finger type. Multi-subunit RING-finger E3s are exemplified by cullin-Rbx E3s and APC/C. They consist of a RING-finger-containing subunit (RBX1 or RBX2) that functions to bind E2s, a scaffold-like cullin molecule, adaptor proteins, and a target recognizing subunit that binds substrates. |
| map03420 |
Nucleotide excision repair |
Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a mechanism to recognize and repair bulky DNA damage caused by compounds, environmental carcinogens, and exposure to UV-light. In humans hereditary defects in the NER pathway are linked to at least three diseases: xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Cockayne syndrome (CS), and trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The repair of damaged DNA involves at least 30 polypeptides within two different sub-pathways of NER known as transcription-coupled repair (TCR-NER) and global genome repair (GGR-NER). TCR refers to the expedited repair of lesions located in the actively transcribed strand of genes by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). In GGR-NER the first step of damage recognition involves XPC-hHR23B complex together with XPE complex (in prokaryotes, uvrAB complex). The following steps of GGR-NER and TCR-NER are similar. |
