The 2024 Lorne Proteins Satellite Meeting will highlight cutting edge research in the field of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like (UBL) proteins.Ubiquitin and UBLs are post-translational modifications that play a crucial role in the regulation of protein stability, localisation, interactions, and activity and therefore control nearly all processes within the eukaryotic cell. These central signalling functions make the ubiquitin and UBL systems fundamental targets for drug development. Moreover, the ubiquitin system is essential for the mechanism of action of an innovative small molecule drug modality termed proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). PROTACs recruit the ubiquitin machinery to a disease-causing protein to induce its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, therefore enabling targeting of proteins previously considered undruggable.
The meeting will bring together leading experts in the ubiquitin field, spanning from structure and mechanisms of the enzymes catalysing ubiquitination and de-ubiquitination, the regulation of cellular signalling by ubiquitin or UBLs, as well as novel approaches in targeting or utilising the ubiquitin system for the treatment of human diseases.