Synthesis of defined ubiquitin dimers

Many proteins are post-translationally modified by the attachment of poly-ubiquitin (Ub) chains. Notably, the biological function of the attached Ub chain depends on the specific lysine residue used for conjugate formation. Here, we report an easy and efficient method to synthesize site-specifically linked Ub dimers by click reaction between two artificial amino acids. In fact, we were able to synthesize all seven naturally occurring Ub connectivities, providing the first example of a method that gives access to all Ub dimers. Furthermore, these synthetic Ub dimers are recognized by the natural ubiquitination machinery and are proteolytically stable, making them optimal candidates to further investigate the function of differently linked Ub chains.