Nonenzymatic polymerization of ubiquitin: single-step synthesis and isolation of discrete ubiquitin oligomers

Linked: a method based on thiol-ene chemistry enables the synthesis and purification of ubiquitin oligomers with ≥4 units. This approach, which employs free-radical polymerization, can be applied towards the synthesis of homogeneous Lys6-linked ubiquitin oligomers currently inaccessible by enzymatic methods. By using these chains, one can study their roles in the ubiquitin proteasome system and the DNA damage response pathway.