| Modification Notes |
The ubiquitin (Ub) pathway involves three sequential enzymatic steps that facilitate the conjugation of Ub and Ub-like molecules to specific protein substrates. Through the use of a wide range of enzymes that can add or remove ubiquitin, the Ub pathway controls many intracellular processes such as signal transduction, transcriptional activation and cell cycle progression. USP44 (ubiquitin specific peptidase 44) is a 712 amino acid protein that contains one UBP-type zinc finger and belongs to the peptidase C19 family. Expressed in testis, USP44, catalyzes the conversion of a ubiquitin C-terminal thioester to a free ubiquitin and a thiol. USP44 is encoded by a gene that maps to human chromosome 12, which encodes over 1,100 genes and comprises approximately 4.5% of the human genome. |