This gene encodes ubiquitin, one of the most conserved proteins known. Ubiquitin has a major role in targeting cellular proteins for degradation by the 26S proteosome. It is also involved in the maintenance of chromatin structure, the regulation of gene expression, and the stress response. Ubiquitin is synthesized as a precursor protein consisting of either polyubiquitin chains or a single ubiquitin moiety fused to an unrelated protein. This gene consists of three direct repeats of the ubiquitin coding sequence with no spacer sequence. Consequently, the protein is expressed as a polyubiquitin precursor with a final amino acid after the last repeat. An aberrant form of this protein has been detected in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Pseudogenes of this gene are located on chromosomes 1, 2, 13, and 17. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.