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Query: EC:6.3.2.19 (ubiquitin-protein ligase)
 799 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B follows the degradation of its inhibitor, I kappa B alpha, an event coupled with stimulation-dependent inhibitor phosphorylation. Prevention of the stimulation-dependent phosphorylation of I kappa B alpha, either by treating cells with various reagents or by mutagenesis of certain putative I kappa B alpha phosphorylation sites, abolishes the inducible degradation of I kappa B alpha. Yet, the mechanism coupling the stimulation-induced phosphorylation with the degradation has not been resolved. Recent reports suggest a role for the proteasome in I kappa B alpha degradation, but the mode of substrate recognition and the involvement of ubiquitin conjugation as a targeting signal have not been addressed. We show that of the two forms of I kappa B alpha recovered from stimulated cells in a complex with RelA and p50, only the newly phosphorylated form, pI kappa B alpha, is a substrate for an in vitro reconstituted ubiquitin-proteasome system. Proteolysis requires ATP, ubiquitin, a specific ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, and other ubiquitin-proteasome components. In vivo, inducible I kappa B alpha degradation requires a functional ubiquitin-activating enzyme and is associated with the appearance of high molecular weight adducts of I kappa B alpha. Ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation may, therefore, constitute an integral step of a signal transduction process.
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PMID:Stimulation-dependent I kappa B alpha phosphorylation marks the NF-kappa B inhibitor for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. 747 48

The E6 protein of the high-risk human papillomaviruses inactivates the tumor suppressor protein p53 by stimulating its ubiquitinylation and subsequent degradation. Ubiquitinylation is a multistep process involving a ubiquitin-activating enzyme, one of many distinct ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, and in certain cases, a ubiquitin ligase. In human papillomavirus-infected cells, E6 and the E6-associated protein are thought to act as a ubiquitin-protein ligase in the ubiquitinylation of p53. Here we describe the cloning of a human ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that specifically ubiquitinylates E6-associated protein. Furthermore, we define the biochemical pathway of p53 ubiquitinylation and demonstrate that in vivo inhibition of various components in the pathway leads to an inhibition of E6-stimulated p53 degradation.
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PMID:Reconstitution of p53-ubiquitinylation reactions from purified components: the role of human ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBC4 and E6-associated protein (E6AP). 772 50

Cyclin B is degraded at the onset of anaphase by a ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system. We have fractionated mitotic Xenopus egg extracts to identify components required for this process. We find that UBC4 and at least one other ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme can support cyclin B ubiquitination. The mitotic specificity of cyclin ubiquitination is determined by a 20S complex that contains homologs of budding yeast CDC16 and CDC27. Because these proteins are required for anaphase in yeast and mammalian cells, we refer to this complex as the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). CDC27 antibodies deplete APC activity, while immunopurified CDC27 complexes are sufficient to complement either interphase extracts or a mixture of recombinant UBC4 and the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1. These results suggest that APC functions as a regulated ubiquitin-protein ligase that targets cyclin B for destruction in mitosis.
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PMID:A 20S complex containing CDC27 and CDC16 catalyzes the mitosis-specific conjugation of ubiquitin to cyclin B. 773 80

The wild-type tumor suppressor protein p53 is a short-lived protein that plays important roles in regulation of cell cycle, differentiation, and survival. Mutations that inactivate or alter the tumor suppressor activity of the protein seem to be the most common genetic change in human cancer and are frequently associated with changes in its stability. The ubiquitin system has been implicated in the degradation of p53 both in vivo and in vitro. A mutant cell line that harbors a thermolabile ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, fails to degrade p53 at the nonpermissive temperature. Studies in cell-free extracts have shown that covalent attachment of ubiquitin to the protein requires the three conjugating enzymes: E1, a novel species of ubiquitin-carrier protein (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme; UBC),E2-F1, and an ubiquitin-protein ligase, E3. Recognition of p53 by the ligase is facilitated by formation of a complex between the protein and the human papillomavirus (HPV) oncoprotein E6. Therefore, the ligase has been designated E6-associated protein (E6-AP). However, these in vitro studies have not demonstrated that the conjugates serve as essential intermediates in the proteolytic process. In fact, in many cases, conjugation of ubiquitin to the target protein does not signal its degradation. Thus, it is essential to demonstrate that p53-ubiquitin adducts serve as essential proteolytic intermediates and are recognized and degraded by the 26S protease complex, the proteolytic arm of the ubiquitin pathway. In this study, we demonstrate that conjugates of p53 generated in the presence of purified, E1, E2, E6-AP, E6, ubiquitin and ATP, are specifically recognized by the 26S protease complex and degraded. In contrast, unconjugated p53 remains stable. The ability to reconstitute the system from purified components will enable detailed analysis of the recognition process and the structural motifs involved in targeting the protein for degradation.
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PMID:Complete reconstitution of conjugation and subsequent degradation of the tumor suppressor protein p53 by purified components of the ubiquitin proteolytic system. 803 27

The E6 protein of the oncogenic human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 facilitates the rapid degradation of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 via the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway. The E6 protein binds to a cellular protein of 100 kDa termed E6-AP. The complex of E6 and E6-AP specifically interacts with p53 and induces the ubiquitination of p53 in a reaction which requires the ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) and a cellular fraction thought to contain a mammalian ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2). This mammalian E2 activity could be replaced with bacterially expressed UBC8 from Arabidopsis thaliana, which belongs to a subfamily of E2s including yeast UBC4 and UBC5 which are highly conserved at the amino acid level. In this paper we describe the cloning of a human cDNA encoding a human E2 that we have designated UbcH5 and that is related to Arabidopsis UBC8 and the other members of this subfamily. We demonstrate that UbcH5 can function in the E6/E6-AP-induced ubiquitination of p53.
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PMID:Identification of a human ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that mediates the E6-AP-dependent ubiquitination of p53. 809 Jul 26

A prerequisite for the selective degradation of intracellular proteins by the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway is the attachment of a chain of ubiquitin monomers to the targeted protein. In these multiubiquitin chains, the carboxyl-terminal glycine 76 of ubiquitin is linked via an isopeptide bond to the epsilon-amino group of lysine 48 in the adjacent ubiquitin. It remains to be determined whether these chains are preassembled and attached en masse to the target, are made by sequential conjugation of ubiquitin monomers to ubiquitins already linked to the protein, or both. Using the 20-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme TaUBC7 from wheat, we have generated free, glycine 76-->lysine 48-linked multiubiquitin chains (Ubqn), and have individually purified Ubqn species (n < or = 6) by anion-exchange, high pressure liquid chromatography. The migration of these chains during SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was indistinguishable from those of major ubiquitin immunoreactive proteins in cell lysates from a variety of eukaryotes suggesting that free, multiubiquitin chains are abundant in vivo. One of these chain members (Ubq2) was purified from wheat and was demonstrated via amino acid sequence analysis of tryptic fragments to consist of two ubiquitin monomers joined via a glycine 76-->lysine 48 linkage. We also show in vitro that purified Ubq2 and Ubq4 are competent in activation by ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), in transfer to E2s, and in ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3)-independent conjugation to other Ubqn species and to histones H2A/B. These data demonstrate that multiubiquitin chains exist as free, functional structures in vivo and support the possibility that at least a portion of free ubiquitin is preassembled into multiubiquitin chains prior to its attachment to proteolytic substrates.
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PMID:Multiubiquitin chains linked through lysine 48 are abundant in vivo and are competent intermediates in the ubiquitin proteolytic pathway. 822 36

In eukaryotes, conjugation of ubiquitin to proteins serves as a committed step for intracellular protein degradation. Formation of ubiquitin-protein conjugates involves the transfer of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2)-bound ubiquitin to the target proteins with or without the assistance of ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3). We report the isolation and characterization of an E2 purified from wheat germ that accounts for the majority of ubiquitin conjugation activity observed in vitro. This E2 is basic, has an apparent molecular mass of 15 kDa, and forms oligomers that dissociate upon treatment with sulfhydryl reducing agents. E(2)15kDa will not work alone in vitro but requires an additional factor putatively identified as an E3 for substrate recognition. This E3 is distinct from E3 alpha previously described to be required for N-terminal recognition of target proteins. Partial amino acid sequence analysis of E(2)15kDa revealed a substantial identity (approximately 80% in two peptide regions) with yeast E2s encoded by UBC4/UBC5 genes. This homology was confirmed by immunodetection of a 16-kDa yeast protein corresponding to the molecular mass of the UBC4/UBC5 proteins with E(2)15kDa antisera. The products of yeast UBC4 and UBC5 genes along with that of UBC1 gene constitute a subfamily of functionally overlapping E2s that mediate the selective degradation of short-lived and abnormal proteins in vivo. Considering the high degree of functional and structural similarity of wheat E(2)15kDa with that of yeast UBC4/UBC5, it is likely that yeast UBC4/UBC5 and their homologs from other eukaryotes exhibit the same E3 dependence in performing their roles in protein degradation.
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PMID:A major ubiquitin conjugation system in wheat germ extracts involves a 15-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) homologous to the yeast UBC4/UBC5 gene products. 841 75

The RAD6 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that is required for DNA repair, damage-induced mutagenesis, and sporulation. In addition, RAD6 mediates the multiubiquitination and degradation of amino-end rule protein substrates. The structure and function of RAD6 have been remarkably conserved during eukaryotic evolution. Here, we examine the role of the extremely conserved amino terminus, which has remained almost invariant among RAD6 homologs from yeast to human. We show that RAD6 is concentrated in the nucleus and that the amino-terminal deletion mutation, rad6 delta 1-9, does not alter the location of the protein. The amino-terminal domain, however, is essential for the multiubiquitination and degradation of amino-end rule substrates. In the rad6 delta 1-9 mutant, beta-galactosidase proteins bearing destabilizing amino-terminal residues become long lived, and purified rad6 delta 1-9 protein is ineffective in ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3)-dependent protein degradation in the proteolytic system derived from rabbit reticulocytes. The amino terminus is required for physical interaction of RAD6 with the yeast UBR1-encoded E3 enzyme, as the rad6 delta 1-9 protein is defective in this respect. The rad6 delta 1-9 mutant is defective in sporulation, shows reduced efficiency of DNA repair, but is proficient in UV mutagenesis. E3-dependent protein degradation by RAD6 could be essential for sporulation and could affect the efficiency of DNA repair.
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PMID:The extremely conserved amino terminus of RAD6 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme is essential for amino-end rule-dependent protein degradation. 843 96

The ubiquitin-protein conjugation system is involved in a variety of eukaryotic cell functions, including the degradation of abnormal and short-lived proteins, chromatin structure, cell cycle progression, and DNA repair. The ubiquitination of target proteins is catalyzed by a ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) and in some cases also requires auxiliary substrate recognition proteins (E3s). Multiple E2s have been found, and these likely possess specificity for different classes of target proteins. Here we report the cloning and characterization of a gene (ubc-2) encoding a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme which is involved in the selective degradation of abnormal and short-lived proteins in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The nematode ubc-2 gene encodes a 16.7-kDa protein with striking amino acid sequence similarity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae UBC4 and UBC5 and Drosophila UbcD1. When driven by the UBC4 promoter, ubc-2 can functionally substitute for UBC4 in yeast cells; it rescues the slow-growth phenotype of ubc4 ubc5 mutants at normal temperature and restores their ability to grow at elevated temperatures. Western blots (immunoblots) of ubc4 ubc5 yeast cells transformed with ubc-2 reveal a protein of the expected size, which cross-reacts with anti-Drosophila UbcD1 antibody. C. elegans ubc-2 is constitutively expressed at all life cycle stages and, unlike yeast UBC4 and UBC5, is not induced by heat shock. Both trans and cis splicing are involved in the maturation of the ubc-2 transcript. These data suggest that yeast UBC4 and UBC5, Drosophila UbcD1, and C. elegans ubc-2 define a highly conserved gene family which plays fundamental roles in all eukaryotic cells.
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PMID:The ubc-2 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme involved in selective protein degradation. 844 82

In temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of mouse FM3A cells, the levels of mutagenesis and survival of cells treated with DNA-damaging agents have been difficult to assess because they are killed after their mutant phenotypes are expressed at the nonpermissive temperature. To avoid this difficulty, we incubated the ts mutant cells at the restrictive temperature, 39 degrees C, for only a limited period after inducing DNA damage. We used ts mutants defective in genes for ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), DNA polymerase alpha, and p34(cdc2) kinase. Whereas the latter two showed no effect, E1 mutants were sensitized remarkably to UV light if incubated at 39 degrees C for limited periods after UV exposure. Eighty-five percent of the sensitization occurred within the first 12 h of incubation at 39 degrees C, and more than 36 h at 39 degrees C did not produce any further sensitization. Moreover, while the 39 degrees C incubation gave E1 mutants a moderate spontaneous mutator phenotype, the same treatment significantly diminished the level of UV-induced 6-thioguanine resistance mutagenesis and extended the time necessary for expression of the mutation phenotype. These characteristics of E1 mutants are reminiscent of the defective DNA repair phenotypes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae rad6 mutants, which have defects in a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), to which E1 is known to transfer ubiquitin. These results demonstrate the involvement of E1 in eukaryotic DNA repair and mutagenesis and provide the first direct evidence that the ubiquitin-conjugation system contributes to DNA repair in mammalian cells.
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PMID:Incubation at the nonpermissive temperature induces deficiencies in UV resistance and mutagenesis in mouse mutant cells expressing a temperature-sensitive ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1). 903 76


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