Challenging the Immunoproteasome: New Insights in Anticancer, Anti-Inflammatory and Autoimmune Disease Treatments

Dear Colleagues,

Protein turnover is fundamental for cellular function and homeostasis. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is a central, non-lysosomal pathway devoted to protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. UPS proteolytic activity is responsible for regular cell cycle progression, homeostasis control, and immune surveillance. The immunoproteasome is a specialized form of proteasome that occurs in many cell types in vertebrates. It is constitutively expressed in lymphocytes and monocytes, and can also be induced by cytokines. High levels of immunoproteasome core particles have been detected in many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as in inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative diseases. Overexpression of immunoproteasome core particles has also been detected in hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma.

The discovery of selective immunoproteasome inhibitors is therefore a key for the development of more effective treatments for the above-mentioned diseases. Comprehensive reports on selective covalent and non-covalent immunoproteasome inhibitors have recently been published, but the search is still ongoing for more potent and selective immunoproteasome inhibitors with no side-effects. This special issue will focus on all aspects of the immunoproteasome in health and disease. We welcome original articles as well as reviews on computational, in vitro and/or in vivo studies in the immunoproteasome field.

Dr. Marco Tutone
Guest Editor

Manuscripts should be submitted via our online editorial system at https://imr.propub.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to start your submission. Manuscripts can be submitted now or up until the deadline. All papers will go through peer-review process. Accepted papers will be published in the journal (as soon as accepted) and meanwhile listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, reviews as well as short communications are preferred. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office to announce on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts will be thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. Please visit the Instruction for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) in this open access journal is 2500 USD. Submitted manuscripts should be well formatted in good English.