Post-translational modifications (PTM) by members of the Ubiquitin (Ub) family represent an efficient way to regulate almost every biological process. Defects in this homeostatic equilibrium, result in pathologies such as cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammation or multiple infections. For this reason, this research area has become very attractive for fundamental scientists as well as for the pharmaceutical industry aiming to identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
The key scientific mission of the programme is to understand how protein modification with Ub/Ubls is generated (written), regulated (edited), recognised (read) and connected with effector functions (interpreted) to regulate cellular plasticity. Our main hypothesis is that the understanding of the “writers”, “editors”, “readers” and “interpreters” of this new universal language will help us to understand the encoded message. Importantly, this should allow us to charactersie physiologic and pathologic processes. Each of the model systems proposed in this programme will explore frontier questions that will provide insights on distinct aspects of this code.