Description
UBE2K also known as UBC1 or ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2K belongs to the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family which interacts with RING finger proteins. UBE2K can ubiquitinate huntingtin, the gene product for Huntington's disease. Huntingtin is ubiquitinated in peripheral cells, suggesting a role for UBE2K in the degradation of huntingtin. UBE2K plays a role in aggregate formation of expanded polyglutamine proteins and the suppression of apoptosis in polyglutamine diseases. UBE2K also plays a role in the dislocation of newly synthesized MHC class I heavy chains from the endoplasmic reticulum, and involvement in foam cell formation