The International Symposium in Tokyo 2022

The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates almost all cellular functions including protein homeostasis, gene expression, stress response, and signal transduction, and accumulating evidence has demonstrated that defects in this system can directly lead various human diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Therefore, the development of drugs targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system is progressing all over the world as a promising strategy to overcome these diseases. Especially, recently emerged targeted protein degradation methods by small compounds such as PROTAC and IMiDs are attracting attention as novel drug development modalities. However, several key questions regarding ubiquitin biology remain unanswered: We still do not know the mechanisms of how different ubiquitin chains control diverse cellular pathways and how proteasomal degradation is regulated. Also, it is necessary to further explore target molecules and ubiquitin ligases to expand the targeted protein degradation methods. This symposium aims to stimulate further progress in ubiquitin research and discuss the future direction of ubiquitin research and the potential for ubiquitin drug discovery, by facilitating scientific interactions among global leaders and Japanese researchers in the ubiquitin-proteasome field.

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