New tricks for ubiquitin and friends.

The foothills of the Rocky Mountains provided a spectacular setting for the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) meeting entitled 'Non-traditional functions of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins', Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, on 11-14 August, 2002. Organizers Linda Hicke and Cecile Pickart put together an excellent programme of talks covering functions of ubiquitin other than its well known role in proteasomal targeting. The increasingly diverse biological processes in which the ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are involved, also featured. One of the aims of the meeting was to bring together researchers working directly with ubiquitin and UBLs, and also those who have found that their favourite molecule or process is somehow influenced by these small versatile tags. As a result, delegates were treated to a diverse and highly stimulating meeting.