Background of the antigen
Ubiquitination is an important mechanism through which three classes of enzymes act in concert to target short-lived or abnormal proteins for destruction. The three classes of enzymes involved in ubiquitination are the ubiquitin-activating enzymes (E1s), the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) and the ubiquitin-protein ligases (E3s). Ubr2 (Ubiquitin-protein ligase E3-alpha-2), also known as N-recognin-2, is a 1755 amino acid protein that contains one UBR-type zinc finger and one RING-type zinc finger. Participating in protein modification events within the N-end rule pathway, Ubr2 functions as an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that recognizes and binds proteins that contain destabilizing N-terminal residues, thereby leading to their ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. Mice lacking Ubr2 are infertile due to defects in male meiosis.
