Ivan Ðikić

Ivan Dikic pioneered the hypothesis of ubiquitin serving as a widespread signal and has contributed to revolutionizing the view of ubiquitin from solely a degradation signal to a fundamental recognition element in cellular communication. He revealed molecular bases for selective autophagy removing damaged mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, protein aggregates or intracellular pathogens. His most recent and influential work unveils a novel chemistry of phosphoribosyl-linked serine ubiquitination that is utilized by Legionella to regulate cellular changes during bacterial infection. Overall, Dikic has provided fundamental insights into the ubiquitin and autophagy network with imminent implications for the pathogenesis and therapy of human diseases.