The modification of proteins with ubiquitin is an important cellular mechanism for targeting abnormal or short-lived proteins for degradation. Ubiquitination involves at least three classes of enzymes: ubiquitin-activating enzymes, or E1s, ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, or E2s, and ubiquitin-protein ligases, or E3s. This gene encodes a member of the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family. The encoded protein sequence is 100% identical to the mouse homolog and 98% identical to the frog and zebrafish homologs. Three alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene and they encode distinct isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2011].
Hayashida, Yamasaki, Asada, Soeda, Niikawa, Kishino: "Construction of a physical and transcript map flanking the imprinted MEST/PEG1 region at 7q32." in: Genomics, Vol. 66, Issue 2, pp. 221-5, (2000) (PubMed).