The Future of Longevity and Stress Resistance Brought by Newly Discovered Ubiquitin Precursors

A research team from the University of Cologne and the University of Düsseldorf has identified an "extended" precursor of ubiquitin known as CxUb (C-terminally extended ubiquitin). In studies conducted on baker's yeast and nematodes, it was shown that this CxUb is activated under stress conditions, significantly promoting the removal of abnormal proteins and damaged mitochondria, thereby enhancing lifespan and survival rates. Notably, CxUb amplifies tagging of abnormal proteins only during stress without interfering with the "housekeeping" functions of regular ubiquitin, which is a novel finding that could potentially reduce side effects in cancer and neurodegenerative disease treatments. The findings were published in Molecular Cell and have gained attention through dissemination on university and academic media social networks, as well as announcements on the journal's official X account and posts by experts. Future research will focus on validation in human cells and disease models, as well as evaluating its potential as a drug discovery target.