8th Hermann Staudinger Lecture: Intracellular Proteolysis: Mechanisms, Structures, and Application"

Nobel Laureate Robert Huber, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, December 12, 2010

Within cells or subcellular compartments misfolded and/or short-lived regulatory proteins are degraded by protease machines, cage-forming multi-subunit assemblages. Their proteolytic active sites are sequestered within the particles and located on the inner walls. Access of protein substrates is regulated by protein subcomplexes or protein domains which may assist in substrate unfolding dependent of ATP. Five protease machines will be described displaying different subunit structures, oligomeric states, enzymatic mechanisms, and regulatory properties.