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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)

In most cases, the transcriptional factor NF-kappa B is a heterodimer consisting of two subunits, p50 and p65, which are encoded by two distinct genes of the Rel family. p50 is translated as a precursor of 105 kDa. The C-terminal domain of the precursor is rapidly degraded, forming the mature p50 subunit consisted of the N-terminal region of the molecule. The mechanism of generation of p50 is not known. It has been suggested that the ubiquitin-proteasome system is involved in the process; however, the specific enzymes involved and the mechanism of limited proteolysis, in which half of the molecule is spared, have been obscure. Palombella and colleagues (Palombella, V. J., Rando, O. J., Goldberg, A. L., and Maniatis, T. (1994) Cell 78, 773-785) have shown that ubiquitin is required for the processing in a cell-free system of a truncated, artificially constructed, 60-kDa precursor. They have also shown that proteasome inhibitors block the processing both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate reconstitution of a cell-free processing system and demonstrate directly that: (a) the ubiquitin-proteasome system is involved in processing of the intact p105 precursor, (b) conjugation of ubiquitin to the precursor is an essential intermediate step in the processing, (c) the recently discovered novel species of the ubiquitin-carrier protein, E2-F1, that is involved in the conjugation and degradation of p53, is also required for the limited processing of the p105 precursor, and (d) a novel, approximately 320-kDa species of ubiquitin-protein ligase, is involved in the process. This novel enzyme is distinct from E6-AP, the p53-conjugating ligase, and from E3 alpha, the "N-end rule" ligase.
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PMID:Ubiquitin-mediated processing of NF-kappa B transcriptional activator precursor p105. Reconstitution of a cell-free system and identification of the ubiquitin-carrier protein, E2, and a novel ubiquitin-protein ligase, E3, involved in conjugation. 766 88

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 tumor suppressor protein p53 is extremely unstable in most cell lines. In contrast, many mutant and oncogenic species of the protein are stable. The degradation of p53 in vivo requires metabolic energy; however, the proteolytic system(s) involved have not been identified. The ubiquitin system has been implicated in the degradation of p53 in vitro. The degradation is stimulated significantly by the human papillomavirus (HPV) oncoprotein E6 that associates with p53 and facilitates conjugate formation and subsequent degradation. Complex formation between E6 and p53 is promoted by a cellular protein designated E6-associated protein (E6-AP). Initial dissection of the conjugation process have demonstrated a role for the ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, but the ubiquitin-carrier protein (E2, UBC) and the ubiquitin protein ligase, E3, have not been identified. In this study, we report that a novel species of ubiquitin-carrier protein designated E2-F1 (Blumenfeld, N., Gonen, H., Mayer, A., Smith, C., Siegel, N.R., Schwartz, A.L., and Ciechanover, A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 9574-9581) is involved in the conjugation and degradation of p53. This E2 enzyme recognizes non-"N-end rule" protein substrates and appears to mediate their conjugation via a novel species of E3. The process of recognition appears to be selective; E2-F1 is not required for the conjugation and degradation of human N-myc. The involvement of E2-F1 in the in vitro process appears to be physiologically meaningful and to reproduce the in vivo process; mutant species of p53 that do not interact with E6 and are stable in vivo are not recognized by the cell free system.
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PMID:Degradation of the tumor suppressor protein p53 by the ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic system requires a novel species of ubiquitin-carrier protein, E2. 814 45

The transcription factor c-Fos is a short-lived cellular protein. The levels of the protein fluctuate significantly and abruptly during changing pathophysiological conditions. Thus, it is clear that degradation of the protein plays an important role in its tightly regulated activity. We examined the involvement of the ubiquitin pathway in c-Fos breakdown. Using a mutant cell line, ts20, that harbors a thermolabile ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, we demonstrate that impaired function of the ubiquitin system stabilizes c-Fos in vivo. In vitro, we reconstituted a cell-free system and demonstrated that the protein is multiply ubiquitinated. The adducts serve as essential intermediates for degradation by the 26S proteasome. We show that both conjugation and degradation are significantly stimulated by c-Jun, with which c-Fos forms the active heterodimeric transcriptional activator AP-1. Analysis of the enzymatic cascade involved in the conjugation process reveals that the ubiquitin-carrier protein E2-F1 and its human homolog UbcH5, which target the tumor suppressor p53 for degradation, are also involved in c-Fos recognition. The E2 enzyme acts along with a novel species of ubiquitin-protein ligase, E3. This enzyme is distinct from other known E3s, including E3 alpha/UBR1, E3 beta, and E6-AP. We have purified the novel enzyme approximately 350-fold and demonstrated that it is a homodimer with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 280 kDa. It contains a sulfhydryl group that is essential for its activity, presumably for anchoring activated ubiquitin as an intermediate thioester prior to its transfer to the substrate. Taken together, our in vivo and in vitro studies strongly suggest that c-Fos is degraded in the cell by the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway in a process that requires a novel recognition enzyme.
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PMID:Degradation of the proto-oncogene product c-Fos by the ubiquitin proteolytic system in vivo and in vitro: identification and characterization of the conjugating enzymes. 852 78

Degradation of a protein via the ubiquitin system involves two discrete steps, conjugation of ubiquitin to the substrate and degradation of the adduct. Conjugation follows a three-step mechanism. First, ubiquitin is activated by the ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1. Following activation, one of several E2 enzymes (ubiquitin-carrier proteins or ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, UBCs) transfers ubiquitin from E1 to the protein substrate that is bound to one of several ubiquitin-protein ligases, E3s. These enzymes catalyze the last step in the process, covalent attachment of ubiquitin to the protein substrate. The binding of the substrate to E3 is specific and implies that E3s play a major role in recognition and selection of proteins for conjugation and subsequent degradation. So far, only a few ligases have been identified, and it is clear that many more have not been discovered yet. Here, we describe a novel ligase that is involved in the conjugation and degradation of non "N-end rule" protein substrates such as actin, troponin T, and MyoD. This substrate specificity suggests that the enzyme may be involved in degradation of muscle proteins. The ligase acts in concert with E2-F1, a previously described non N-end rule UBC. Interestingly, it is also involved in targeting lysozyme, a bona fide N-end substrate that is recognized by E3 alpha and E2-14 kDa. The novel ligase recognizes lysozyme via a signal(s) that is distinct from the N-terminal residue of the protein. Thus, it appears that certain proteins can be targeted via multiple recognition motifs and distinct pairs of conjugating enzymes. We have purified the ligase approximately 200-fold and demonstrated that it is different from other known E3s, including E3 alpha/UBR1, E3 beta, and E6-AP. The native enzyme has an apparent molecular mass of approximately 550 kDa and appears to be a homodimer. Because of its unusual size, we designated this novel ligase E3L (large). E3L contains an -SH group that is essential for its activity. Like several recently described E3 enzymes, including E6-AP and the ligase involved in the processing of p105, the NF-kappa B precursor, the novel ligase is found in mammalian tissues but not in wheat germ.
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PMID:Isolation, characterization, and partial purification of a novel ubiquitin-protein ligase, E3. Targeting of protein substrates via multiple and distinct recognition signals and conjugating enzymes. 855 May 77