Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P62988 (Ubiquitin)
 4,326 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Ubiquitin carrier proteins (E2s) are involved in the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to a variety of cellular target proteins in eukaryotes. Here, we report the cloning of genes from wheat and Arabidopsis thaliana that encode 16-kDa E2s and a domain analysis of E2s by in vitro mutagenesis. The genes for E216kDa, which we have designated wheat and At UBC1, encode proteins that are only 33% identical (58% similar) with a 23-kDa E2 from wheat (encoded by the gene now designated wheat UBC4), but are 63% identical (82% similar) with the E2 encoded by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA repair gene, RAD6. Unlike the proteins encoded by RAD6 and wheat UBC4, the UBC1 gene products lack acidic C-terminal domains extending beyond the conserved core of the proteins and are incapable of efficient in vitro ligation of ubiquitin to histones. From enzymatic analysis of the UBC1 and UBC4 gene products mutagenized in vitro, we have identified several domains important for E2 function, including the active site cysteine and N-terminal and C-terminal domains. Cysteine residues 88 and 85 in the UBC1 and UBC4 gene products, respectively, are necessary for formation of the ubiquitin-E2 thiol ester intermediate. Whereas the UBC1 gene product does not require its additional cysteine residue at position 116 for thiol ester formation, alteration of cysteine 143 in the UBC4 gene product greatly diminishes this ability. The N terminus of UBC1 contains two domains that affect activity: a proximal region containing hydroxylated and uncharged residues whose removal increases the rate of thiol ester formation and a distal tract rich in basic residues. Deletion or substitution of these basic residues with neutral residues diminishes the rate of thiol ester formation. We have demonstrated also that C-terminal extensions can function to confer substrate specificity to E2s. When the acidic extension was deleted from UBC4, the protein was unable to efficiently conjugate ubiquitin to histones in vitro. Furthermore, fusion of the UBC4 acidic extension to the C terminus of UBC1 resulted in a chimeric protein capable of efficient histone conjugation, as did fusion of short tracts of alternating aspartate and glutamate residues. This result suggests that the target protein specificity of E2s can be altered by the addition of appropriate C-terminal extensions, thus providing a way to modify the selectivity of the ubiquitin system.
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PMID:Cloning of a 16-kDa ubiquitin carrier protein from wheat and Arabidopsis thaliana. Identification of functional domains by in vitro mutagenesis. 166 Aug 87

We used cDNA arrays to investigate molecular aspects of the differentiation of an immortalized line of oligodendroglial progenitors, and of immunopan-purified primary cultures of oligodendroglial progenitors, to immature oligodendroglia. Developmental regulation of the proteolipid and 2-hydroxyacylsphingosine 1-galactosyltransferase genes was tighter in the primary than in the immortalized cells. Our data suggest that increased expression of genes encoding the following proteins are involved in oligodendroglial differentiation: Fyn, Erk, p85, G-alpha-12 guanine nucleotide binding, and transducin beta-2 signal transduction molecules; glial maturation factor; the proteasomal subunits C8 and C3; the proteasomal targeting molecule polyubiquitin; the cell cycle regulatory proteins Set, protein phosphatase 2A, and nuclear tyrosine phosphatase (PRL-1); and the high-affinity glutamate cotransporter EAAC-1.
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PMID:Analysis of oligodendroglial differentiation using cDNA arrays. 1067 80

We determined the effects of 24-h recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) infusion into a femoral artery on leg muscle protein kinetics, amino acid transport, and glutamine metabolism in eight adult hypercatabolic trauma patients. Metabolic pathways were assessed by leg arteriovenous catheterization and muscle biopsies with the use of stable amino acid isotopes. Muscle mRNA levels of selected enzymes were determined by competitive PCR. rhGH infusion significantly accelerated the inward transport rates of phenylalanine and leucine and protein synthesis, whereas the muscle protein degradation rate and cathepsin B and UbB polyubiquitin mRNA levels were not significantly modified by rhGH. rhGH infusion decreased the rate of glutamine de novo synthesis and glutamine precursor availability, total branched-chain amino acid catabolism, and nonprotein glutamate utilization. Thus net glutamine release from muscle into circulation significantly decreased after rhGH administration ( approximately 50%), whereas glutamine synthetase mRNA levels increased after rhGH infusion, possibly to compensate for reduced glutamine precursor availability. We conclude that, after trauma, the anticatabolic action of rhGH is associated with a potentially harmful decrease in muscle glutamine production.
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PMID:Growth hormone decreases muscle glutamine production and stimulates protein synthesis in hypercatabolic patients. 1091 32

Recent studies documenting a role for local protein synthesis in synaptic plasticity have lead to interest in the opposing process, protein degradation, as a potential regulator of synaptic function. The ubiquitin-conjugation system identifies, modifies, and delivers proteins to the proteasome for degradation. We found that both the proteasome and ubiquitin are present in the soma and dendrites of hippocampal neurons. As the trafficking of glutamate receptors (GluRs) is thought to underlie some forms of synaptic plasticity, we examined whether blocking proteasome activity affects the agonist-induced internalization of GluRs in cultured hippocampal neurons. Treatment with the glutamate agonist AMPA induced a robust internalization of GluRs. In contrast, brief pretreatment with proteasome inhibitors completely prevented the internalization of GluRs. To distinguish between a role for the proteasome and a possible diminution of the free ubiquitin pool, we expressed a chain elongation defective ubiquitin mutant (UbK48R), which causes premature termination of polyubiquitin chains but, importantly, can serve as a substrate for mono-ubiquitin-dependent processes. Expression of K48R in neurons severely diminished AMPA-induced internalization establishing a role for the proteasome. These data demonstrate the acute (e.g., minutes) regulation of synaptic function by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in mammalian neurons.
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PMID:Ubiquitin-mediated proteasome activity is required for agonist-induced endocytosis of GluRs. 1465 97

Ubiquitin is a globular protein with a highly conserved sequence. Sequence conservation and compact structure make it an ideal protein for structure-function studies. One of the atypical secondary structural features found in ubiquitin is a parallel G1 beta-bulge. Glutamate at 64 is the first residue of this beta-bulge and the third residue in a type II turn. However, glycine is seen in these positions in several proteins. To understand the effects of substitution of glutamate64 by glycine on the structure, stability and function of ubiquitin, mutant UbE64G has been constructed and characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The secondary and tertiary structures of UbE64G mutant protein are only marginally different from wild-type protein (UbWt) and fluorescent form of ubiquitin (UbF45W). The earlier studies have shown that the structure and stability of UbWt and UbF45W were similar. However, UbE64G has less surface hydrophobicity than UbWt. UbE64G is found to be more stable compared with UbF45W towards guanidinium chloride induced denaturation. In vivo, complementation shows substrate proteins with Pro as the N-terminal residue, which undergo ubiquitination, have extended half-lives with UbE64G. This altered preference for Pro as opposed to Met might be related to natural preference of glutamate at 64th position in ubiquitin.
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PMID:Glutamate64 to glycine substitution in G1 beta-bulge of ubiquitin impairs function and stabilizes structure of the protein. 1960 66

Post-translational modifications by the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) family of proteins have been established as critical events in the cellular response to a wide range of DNA damaging reagents and radiation; however, the detailed mechanism of SUMOylation in DNA damage response is not well understood. In this study, we used a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based metabolomics approach to examine the effect of an inhibitor of SUMO-mediated protein-protein interactions on MCF7 breast cancer cell response to radiation. Metabolomics is sensitive to changes in cellular functions and thus provides complementary information to other biological studies. The peptide inhibitor (SUMO interaction motif mimic, SIM) and a control peptide were stably expressed in MCF-7 cell line. Metabolite profiles of the cell lines before and after radiation were analyzed using solution NMR methods. Various statistical methods were used to isolate significant changes. Differences in the amounts of glutamine, aspartate, malate, alanine, glutamate and NADH between the SIM-expressing and control cells suggest a role for SUMOylation in regulating mitochondrial function. This is also further verified following the metabolism of (13)C-labeled glutamine. The inability of the cells expressing the SIM peptide to increase production of the antioxidants carnosine and glutathione after radiation damage suggests an important role of SUMOylation in regulating the levels of antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals and reactive oxygen species generated by radiation. This study reveals previously unknown roles of SUMOylation in DNA damage response.
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PMID:NMR metabolomic profiling reveals new roles of SUMOylation in DNA damage response. 2069 51

Ubiquitin (Ub) provides the recognition and specificity required to deliver proteins to the eukaryotic proteasome for destruction. Prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) is functionally analogous to Ub in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), as it dooms proteins to the Mtb proteasome. Studies suggest that Pup and Ub do not share similar mechanisms of activation and conjugation to target proteins. Dop (deamidase of Pup; Mtb Rv2112c/MT2172) deamidates the C-terminal glutamine of Pup to glutamate, preparing it for ligation to target proteins by proteasome accessory factor A (PafA). While studies have shed light on the conjugation of Pup to proteins, it was not known if Pup could be removed from substrates in a manner analogous to the deconjugation of Ub from eukaryotic proteins. Here, we show that Mycobacteria have a "depupylase" activity provided by Dop. The discovery of a depupylase strengthens the parallels between the Pup- and Ub-tagging systems of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, respectively.
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PMID:"Depupylation" of prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein from mycobacterial proteasome substrates. 2070 95

Ubiquitin-mediated endocytosis and post-endocytic trafficking of glutamate receptors control their synaptic abundance and are implicated in modulating synaptic strength. Ubiquitination is a reversible modification, but the identities and specific functions of deubiquitinating enzymes in the nervous system are lacking. Here, we show that the deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease-46 (USP-46) regulates the abundance of the glutamate receptor GLR-1 in the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutants lacking usp-46 have decreased GLR-1 in the ventral nerve cord and corresponding defects in GLR-1-dependent behaviors. The amount of ubiquitinated GLR-1 is increased in usp-46 mutants. Mutations that block GLR-1 ubiquitination or receptor degradation in the multi-vesicular body/lysosome prevent the decrease in GLR-1 observed in usp-46 mutants. These data support a model in which USP-46 promotes GLR-1 abundance at synapses by deubiquitinating GLR-1 and preventing its degradation in the lysosome. This work suggests that the balance between the addition and removal of ubiquitin is important for glutamate receptor trafficking.
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PMID:The deubiquitinating enzyme USP-46 negatively regulates the degradation of glutamate receptors to control their abundance in the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans. 2127 19

Kainate receptors (KARs) are tetrameric glutamate-gated ion channels composed of combinations of the subunits GluK1-5. Depending on their precise localization and subunit composition, KARs can regulate neurotransmitter release, synaptic function and neuronal excitability. Because of these diverse roles, the regulated and precisely targeted trafficking of KARs is of crucial importance to neuronal function. We previously reported that the KAR subunit GluK2 is post-translationally modified by attachment of Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier 1 (SUMO-1) and that SUMOylation is required for agonist-dependent endocytosis of GluK2. We recently extended these findings to demonstrate that agonist activation leads to PKC-mediated phosphorylation of GluK2 at serine 868, which directly enhances GluK2 SUMOylation and, in turn, leads to endocytosis of the receptor. These new data demonstrate the importance of interplay between two post-translational modifications in orchestrating the temporal and spatial regulation of kainate receptor trafficking.
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PMID:Modification and movement: Phosphorylation and SUMOylation regulate endocytosis of GluK2-containing kainate receptors. 2280 40

Protein degradation is a critical component of cellular maintenance. The intracellular translocation and targeting of the Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS) differentially coordinates a protein's half-life and thereby its function. Nucleus Accumbens 1 (NAC1), a member of the Pox virus and Zinc finger/Bric-a-brac Tramtrack Broad complex (POZ/BTB) family of proteins, participates in the coordinated proteolysis of synaptic proteins by mediating recruitment of the UPS to dendritic spines. Here we report a novel interaction between NAC1 and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), a protein identified as the primary component of ubiquitinated protein aggregates found in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In vitro translated full-length TDP-43 associated with both the POZ/BTB domain and the non-POZ/BTB domain of NAC1 in GST pulldown assays. Other POZ/BTB proteins (including zinc finger POZ/BTB proteins and atypical POZ/BTB proteins) showed weak interactions with TDP-43. In addition, NAC1 and TDP-43 were present in the same immunocomplexes in different regions of mouse brain and spinal cord. In primary spinal cord cultures, TDP-43 expression was mainly nuclear, whereas NAC1 was both nuclear and cytoplasmic. In order to mimic ALS-like toxicity in the spinal cord culture system, we elevated extracellular glutamate levels resulting in the selective loss of motor neurons. Using this model, it was found that glutamate toxicity elicited a dose-dependent translocation of TDP-43 out of the nucleus of cholinergic neurons and increased the co-localization of NAC1 and TDP-43. These findings suggest that NAC1 may function to link TDP-43 to the proteasome; thereby, facilitating the post-translational modifications of TDP-43 that lead to the development of ALS.
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PMID:Nucleus Accumbens 1, a Pox virus and Zinc finger/Bric-a-brac Tramtrack Broad protein binds to TAR DNA-binding protein 43 and has a potential role in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. 2302 14


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