Skip to main content

Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway

Meaning

The Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway (UPP) is a highly conserved and essential cellular mechanism responsible for the controlled, non-lysosomal degradation of intracellular proteins. It functions as the cell’s primary system for quality control, eliminating misfolded, damaged, or unneeded regulatory proteins, thereby controlling their half-life and concentration. This pathway is fundamentally important for numerous cellular processes, including cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and the modulation of nuclear hormone receptor activity. Dysregulation of the UPP is implicated in neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.