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Nature 419, 351-353 (26 September 2002) | doi:10.1038/419351a

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Cell biology: Unchaining the condemned

Keith D. Wilkinson

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Like prisoners, condemned intracellular proteins are shackled with chains to await their fate. These chains are a signal that the proteins must be destroyed and are removed on protein degradation. New work shows how.

To carry out their functions properly, the proteins in our cells must be in the right place at the right time, and at the right concentration. So it's vital that cells achieve the correct balance between protein synthesis and destruction.