Hershko

Hershko is a surname of Hebrew origin. Notable people with the surname include Avram Hershko (born 1937), an Israeli biochemist and professor at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Hershko is best known for his work on protein degradation via the ubiquitin–proteasome system. In 2004 he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Aaron Ciechanover and Irwin Rose for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, a fundamental cellular mechanism by which proteins are marked for destruction and recycled.

The ubiquitin–proteasome system regulates numerous cellular processes, including cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and responses to stress. Its dysfunction is linked to various diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and immune system abnormalities. Throughout his career, Hershko has contributed to biochemistry and cell biology through studies of enzyme mechanisms, protein ubiquitination, and proteolysis. His work helped establish ubiquitination as a central regulatory system in eukaryotic cells and has influenced research into therapeutic approaches that target protein degradation pathways. The surname Hershko is most widely associated with Avram Hershko's Nobel Prize–winning contributions to science.