Overview:

UBA1 or ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1 is an E1 enzyme that initiates the activation and conjugation of ubiquitin-like proteins and catalyzes the first step in ubiquitin conjugation to mark cellular proteins for degradation (1). UBE1 is able to transfer ubiquitin to a wide range of E2 substrates. UBA1 protein may participate in DNA topoisomerase-2 activity (2). UBA1 complements an X-linked mouse temperature-sensitive defect in DNA synthesis, and thus may function in DNA repair.

References:

1. Jin, J.et.al: Dual E1 activation systems for ubiquitin differentially regulate E2 enzyme charging. Nature 447: 1135-1138, 2007.

2. Zacksenhaus, E.et.al: Identification of human gene complementing ts A1S9 mouse L-cell defect in DNA replication following DNA-mediated gene transfer. Somat. Cell Molec. Genet. 14: 371-379, 1988.