• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2015

Ubiquitination is a post translational modification which mostly links with proteasome dependent protein degradation. This process has been known to play pivotal roles in the number of biological events including apoptosis, cell signaling, transcription and translation. Although the process of ubiquitination has been studied extensively, the mechanism of polyubiquitination by multi protein E3 ubiquitin ligase, SCF complex remains elusive. In the present study, we identified UbcH5a as a novel stimulating factor for poly-ubiquitination catalyzed by $SCF^{hFBH1}$ using biochemical fractionations and MALDI-TOF. Moreover, we showed that recombinant UbcH5a and Cdc34 synergistically stimulate $SCF^{hFBH1}$ catalyzed polyubiquitination in vitro. These data may provide an important cue to understand the mechanism how the SCF complex efficiently polyubiquitinates target substrates.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.168-178
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• 2018

Intracellular communication via ubiquitin (Ub) signaling impacts all aspects of cell biology and regulates pathways critical to human development and viability; therefore aberrations or defects in Ub signaling can contribute to the pathogenesis of human diseases. Ubiquitination consists of the addition of Ub to a substrate protein via coordinated action of E1-activating, E2-conjugating and E3-ligating enzymes. Approximately 40 E2s have been identified in humans, and most are thought to be involved in Ub transfer; although little information is available regarding the majority of them, emerging evidence has highlighted their importance to human health and disease. In this review, we focus on recent insights into the pathogenetic roles of E2s (particularly the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2O [UBE2O]) in debilitating diseases and cancer, and discuss the tantalizing prospect that E2s may someday serve as potential therapeutic targets for human diseases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1184-1189
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• 2012

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the major viral pathogens affecting shrimp aquaculture. Four proteins, WSSV199, WSSV 222, WSSV 249 and WSSV 403, from WSSV are predicted to encode a RING-H2 domain, which in presence of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2) in shrimp can function as viral E3 ligase and modulate the host ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Modulation of host ubiquitin proteasome pathway by viral proteins is implicated in viral pathogenesis. In the present study, a time course expression profile analysis of WSSV Open Reading Frame (ORF) 199 and Penaeus monodon ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (PmUbc) was carried out at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h post WSSV challenge by semi-quantitative RT-PCR as well as Real Time PCR. EF1${\alpha}$ was used as reference control to normalize the expression levels. A significant increase in PmUbc expression at 24 h post infection (h.p.i) was observed followed by a decline till 72 h.p.i. Expression of WSSV199 was observed at 24 h.p.i in WSSV infected P. monodon. Since the up-regulation of PmUbc was observed at 24 h.p.i where WSSV199 expression was detected, it can be speculated that these proteins might interact with host ubiquitination pathway for viral pathogenesis. However, further studies need to be carried out to unfold the molecular mechanism of interaction between host and virus to devise efficient control strategies for this chaos in the shrimp culture industry.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.247-248
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• 2016

Necroptosis is a well-known form of caspase-independent cell death. Necroptosis can be triggered by various extrinsic stimuli, including death ligands in the presence of receptorinteracting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), a key mediator of necroptosis induction. Our recent studies have revealed that C-terminus HSC-70 interacting protein (CHIP), an E3 ligase, can function as an inhibitor of necroptosis. CHIP^−/− mouse embryonic fibroblast showed higher sensitivity to necrotic stimuli than wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Deleterious effects of CHIP knockout MEFs were retrieved by RIPK3 depletion. We found that CHIP negatively regulated RIPK3 and RIPK1 by ubiquitylation- and lysosome- dependent degradation. In addition, CHIP^−/− mice showed postnatal lethality with intestinal defects that could be rescued by crossing with RIPK3^−/− mice. These results suggest that CHIP is a negative regulator of RIPK1 and RIPK3, thus inhibiting necroptosis.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2011

Endocytosis of the Notch ligand, DeltaD, by mind bomb1 is indispensable for activation of Notch in cell fate determination, proliferation, and differentiation during zebrafish neurogenesis. Loss of mind bomb1 activity as an E3 Ubiquitin ligase causes the accumulation of deltaD at the plasma membrane and results in the ectopic neurogenic phenotype by activation of Notch in early zebrafish embryogenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of deltaD during neurogenesis is not identified yet. This study aims to analyze the pathway of mib1 and deltaD after endocytosis in vivo during zebrafish embryogenesis. Mind bomb1 and deltaD are co-localized into autophagosome and mutant form of mind bomb1 fails to cargo deltaD into autophagosomes. These findings suggest that mind bomb I mediates deltaD regulation by autophagy in an ubiquitin-dependent manner during zebrafish embryogenesis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.393-400
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• 2017

Plants are constantly exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, flood, and salinity. To survive under such unfavorable conditions, plants have evolutionarily developed their own resistant-mechanisms. For several decades, many studies have clarified specific stress response pathways of plants through various molecular and genetic studies. In particular, it was recently discovered that ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), a regulatory mechanism for protein turn over, is greatly involved in the stress responsive pathways. In the UPS, many E3 ligases play key roles in recognizing and tethering poly-ubiquitins on target proteins for subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome. Here we discuss the roles of RING ligases that have been defined in related to abiotic stress responses in plants.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2012

The p53 protein plays a pivotal role in tumor suppression. The cellular level of p53 is normally kept low by proteasome-mediated degradation, allowing cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. Under stress conditions, such as DNA damage, p53 is stabilized and activated through various post-translational modifications of itself as well as of its regulatory proteins for induction of the downstream genes responsible for cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis. Therefore, the level of p53 should be tightly regulated for normal cell growth and for prevention of the accumulation of mutations in DNA under stress conditions, which otherwise would lead to tumorigenesis. Since the discovery of Mdm2, a critical ubiquitin E3 ligase that destabilizes p53 in mammalian cells, nearly 20 different E3 ligases have been identified and shown to function in the control of stability, nuclear export, translocation to chromatin or nuclear foci, and oligomerization of p53. So far, a large number of excellent reviews have been published on the control of p53 function in various aspects. Therefore, this review will focus only on mammalian ubiquitin E3 ligases that mediate proteasome-dependent degradation of p53.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2019

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) initiates the extrinsic apoptotic pathway through formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC), followed by activation of effector caspases. TRAIL receptors are composed of death receptors (DR4 and DR5), decoy receptors (DcR1 and DcR2), and osteoprotegerin. Among them, only DRs activate apoptotic signaling by TRAIL. Since the levels of DR expressions are higher in cancer cells than in normal cells, TRAIL selectively activates apoptotic signaling pathway in cancer cells. However, multiple mechanisms, including down-regulation of DR expression and pro-apoptotic proteins, and up-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins, make cancer cells TRAIL-resistant. Therefore, many researchers have investigated strategies to overcome TRAIL resistance. In this review, we focus on protein regulation in relation to extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways via ubiquitination. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is an important process in control of protein degradation and stabilization, and regulates proliferation and apoptosis in cancer cells. The level of ubiquitination of proteins is determined by the balance of E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs), which determine protein stability. Regulation of the UPS may be an attractive target for enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Our review provides insight to increasing sensitivity to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis through control of post-translational protein expression.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.413-418
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• 2021

ErbB3-binding protein 1 (EBP1) is a multifunctional protein associated with neural development. Loss of Ebp1 leads to upregulation of the gene silencing unit suppressor of variegation 3-9 homolog 1 (Suv39H1)/DNA (cytosine 5)-methyltransferase (DNMT1). EBP1 directly binds to the promoter region of DNMT1, repressing DNA methylation, and hence, promoting neural development. In the current study, we showed that EBP1 suppresses histone methyltransferase activity of Suv39H1 by promoting ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)-dependent degradation of Suv39H1. In addition, we showed that EBP1 directly interacts with Suv39H1, and this interaction is required for recruiting the E3 ligase MDM2 for Suv39H1 degradation. Thus, our findings suggest that EBP1 regulates UPS-dependent degradation of Suv39H1 to govern proper heterochromatin assembly during neural development.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2012

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and autism. The genetic cause is the absence of UBE3A, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, from the maternal chromosome which can arise from multiple origins. Recently discovered targets of Ube3a are important for activity dependent changes in synaptic transmission and spine morphology. Plasticity studies in an AS mouse model is important for basic plasticity research with regard to understanding protein homeostasis as well as the search for therapeutic targets for the patients. The progress on synaptic plasticity from this unique disorder is reviewed.