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Query: UNIPROT:P62988 (Ubiquitin)
 4,326 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Individual members of the conserved family of ubiquitin conjugating enzymes (E2s) mediate the ubiquitination and turnover of specific substrates of the ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathway. E2 proteins have a highly conserved core domain of approximately 150 amino acids which contains the active-site Cys. Certain E2s have unique terminal extensions, which are thought to contribute to selective E2 function by interacting either with substrates or with trans-acting factors such as ubiquitin-protein ligases (E3s). We used the mammalian ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2-25K in a biochemical test of this hypothesis. The properties of two truncated derivatives show that the 47-residue tail of E2-25K is necessary for three of the enzyme's characteristic properties: high activity in the synthesis of unanchored K48-linked polyubiquitin chains; resistance of the active-site Cys residue to alkylation; and an unusual discrimination against noncognate (nonmammalian) ubiquitin activating (E1) enzymes. However, the tail is not sufficient to generate these properties, as shown by the characteristics of a chimeric enzyme in which the tail of E2-25K was fused to the core domain of yeast UBC4. These and other results indicate that the specific biochemical function of the tail is strongly dependent upon unique features of the E2-25K core domain. Thus, divergent regions within the conserved core domains of E2 proteins may be highly significant for function. Expression of truncated E2-25K as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein resulted in the apparent recovery of E2-25K-specific properties, including activity in chain synthesis. However, the catalytic mechanism utilized by the truncated fusion protein proved to be distinct from the mechanism utilized by the wild-type enzyme. The unexpected properties of the fusion protein were due to GST-induced dimerization. These results indicate the potential for self-association to modulate the polyubiquitin chain synthesis activities of E2 proteins, and indicate that caution should be applied in interpreting the activities of GST fusion proteins.
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PMID:Structure and function of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2-25K: the tail is a core-dependent activity element. 926 33

Ubiquitin is a covalent signal that targets cellular proteins to the 26 S proteasome. Multiple ubiquitins can be ligated together through the formation of isopeptide bonds between Lys48 and Gly76 of successive ubiquitins. Such a polyubiquitin chain constitutes a highly effective proteolytic targeting signal, but its mode of interaction with the proteasome is not well understood. Experiments to address this issue have been limited by difficulties in preparing useful quantities of polyubiquitin chains of uniform length. We report a simple method for large scale synthesis of Lys48-linked polyubiquitin chains of defined length. In the first round of synthesis, two ubiquitin derivatives (K48C-ubiquitin and Asp77-ubiquitin) were used as substrates for the well characterized ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2-25K. Diubiquitin blocked at the nascent proximal and distal chain termini was obtained in quantitative yield. Appropriately deblocked chains were then combined to synthesize higher order chains (tetramer and octamer in the present study). Deblocking was achieved either enzymatically (proximal terminus) or by chemical alkylation (distal terminus). Chains synthesized by this method were used to obtain the first quantitative information concerning the influence of polyubiquitin chain length on binding to the 26 S proteasome; this was done through comparison of different length (unanchored) polyubiquitin chains as inhibitors of ubiquitin-conjugate degradation. K0.5 was found to decrease approximately 90-fold, from 430 to 4.8 microM, as the chain was lengthened from two to eight ubiquitins. The implications of these results for the molecular basis of chain recognition are discussed.
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PMID:Inhibition of the 26 S proteasome by polyubiquitin chains synthesized to have defined lengths. 929 15

The mammalian ubiquitin conjugating enzyme known as E2-25K catalyzes the synthesis of polyubiquitin chains linked exclusively through K48-G76 isopeptide bonds. The properties of truncated and chimeric forms of E2-25K suggest that the polyubiquitin chain synthesis activity of this E2 depends on specific interactions between its conserved 150-residue core domain and its unique 50-residue tail domain [Haldeman, M. T., Xia, G., Kasperek, E. M., and Pickart, C. M. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 10526-10537]. In the present study, we provide strong support for this model by showing that a point mutation in the core domain (S86Y) mimics the effect of deleting the entire tail domain: the ability to form an E2 approximately ubiquitin thiol ester is intact, while conjugation activity is severely inhibited (>/=100-fold reduction in kcat/Km). The properties of E2-25K enzymes carrying the S86Y mutation indicate that this mutation strengthens the interaction between the core and tail domains: both free and ubiquitin-bound forms of S86Y-25K are completely resistant to tryptic cleavage at K164 in the tail domain, whereas wild-type enzyme is rapidly cleaved at this site. Other properties of S86Y-26K suggest that the active site of this mutant enzyme is more occluded than the active site of the wild-type enzyme. (1) Free S86Y-25K is alkylated by iodoacetamide 2-fold more slowly than the wild-type enzyme. (2) In assays of E2 approximately ubiquitin thiol ester formation, S86Y-25K shows a 4-fold reduced affinity for E1. (3) The ubiquitin thiol ester adduct of S86Y-25K undergoes (uncatalyzed) reaction with dithiothreitol 3-fold more slowly than the wild-type thiol ester adduct. One model to accommodate these findings postulates that an enhanced interaction between the core and tail domains, induced by the S86Y mutation, causes a steric blockade at the active site which prevents access of the incoming ubiquitin acceptor to the thiol ester bond. Consistent with this model, the S86Y mutation inhibits ubiquitin transfer to macromolecular acceptors (ubiquitin and polylysine) more strongly than transfer to small-molecule acceptors (free lysine and short peptides). These results suggest that unique residues proximal to E2 active sites may influence specific function by mediating intramolecular interactions.
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PMID:Core domain mutation (S86Y) selectively inactivates polyubiquitin chain synthesis catalyzed by E2-25K. 965 92

The NEDD8/Rub1 class of ubiquitin-like proteins has been implicated in progression of the cell cycle from G1 into S phase. These molecules undergo a metabolism that parallels that of ubiquitin and involves specific interactions with many different proteins. We report here the crystal structure of recombinant human NEDD8 refined at 1.6-A resolution to an R factor of 21.9%. As expected from the high sequence similarity (57% identical), the NEDD8 structure closely resembles that reported previously for ubiquitin. We also show that recombinant human NEDD8 protein is activated, albeit inefficiently, by the ubiquitin-activating (E1) enzyme and that NEDD8 can be transferred from E1 to the ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2-25K. E2-25K adds NEDD8 to a polyubiquitin chain with an efficiency similar to that of ubiquitin. A chimeric tetramer composed of three ubiquitins and one histidine-tagged NEDD8 binds to the 26 S proteasome with an affinity similar to that of tetraubiquitin. Seven residues that differ from the corresponding residues in ubiquitin, but are conserved between NEDD8 orthologs, are candidates for mediating interactions with NEDD8-specific partners. One such residue, Ala-72 (Arg in ubiquitin), is shown to perform a key role in selecting against reaction with the ubiquitin E1 enzyme, thereby acting to prevent the inappropriate diversion of NEDD8 into ubiquitin-specific pathways.
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PMID:Crystal structure of the human ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 and interactions with ubiquitin pathway enzymes. 985 30

Ubiquitination of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases (RPTKs) terminates signaling by marking active receptors for degradation. c-Cbl, an adapter protein for RPTKs, positively regulates RPTK ubiquitination in a manner dependent on its variant SRC homology 2 (SH2) and RING finger domains. Ubiquitin-protein ligases (or E3s) are the components of ubiquitination pathways that recognize target substrates and promote their ligation to ubiquitin. The c-Cbl protein acted as an E3 that can recognize tyrosine-phosphorylated substrates, such as the activated platelet-derived growth factor receptor, through its SH2 domain and that recruits and allosterically activates an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme through its RING domain. These results reveal an SH2-containing protein that functions as a ubiquitin-protein ligase and thus provide a distinct mechanism for substrate targeting in the ubiquitin system.
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PMID:The tyrosine kinase negative regulator c-Cbl as a RING-type, E2-dependent ubiquitin-protein ligase. 1057 87

Ubiquitin-mediated destruction of regulatory proteins is a frequent means of controlling progression through signaling pathways [1]. F-box proteins [2] are components of modular E3 ubiquitin protein ligases called SCFs, which function in phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitination ([3] [4] [5], reviewed in [6] [7]). F-box proteins contain a carboxy-terminal domain that interacts with substrates and a 42-48 amino-acid F-box motif which binds to the protein Skp1 [2] [3] [4]. Skp1 binding links the F-box protein with a core ubiquitin ligase composed of the proteins Cdc53/Cul1, Rbx1 (also called Hrt1 and Roc1) and the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Cdc34 [8] [9] [10] [11]. The genomes of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans contain, respectively, 16 and more than 60 F-box proteins [2] [7]; in S. cerevisiae, the F-box proteins Cdc4, Grr1 and Met30 target cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, G1 cyclins and transcriptional regulators for ubiquitination ([3] [4] [5] [8] [10], reviewed in [6] [7]). Only four mammalian F-box proteins (Cyclin F, Skp1, beta-TRCP and NFB42) have been identified so far [2] [12]. Here, we report the identification of a family of 33 novel mammalian F-box proteins. The large number of these proteins in mammals suggests that the SCF system controls a correspondingly large number of regulatory pathways in vertebrates. Four of these proteins contain a novel conserved motif, the F-box-associated (FBA) domain, which may represent a new protein-protein interaction motif. The identification of these genes will help uncover pathways controlled by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in mammals.
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PMID:A family of mammalian F-box proteins. 1053 Oct 37

During the early stages of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, viral immediate-early regulatory protein ICP0 localizes to and disrupts cellular nuclear structures known as PML nuclear bodies or ND10. These activities correlate with the functions of ICP0 in stimulating lytic infection and reactivating quiescent HSV-1. The disruption of ND10 occurs because ICP0 induces the loss of the SUMO-1-modified forms of PML and the subsequent proteasome-mediated degradation of the PML protein. The functions of ICP0 are largely dependent on the integrity of its zinc-binding RING finger domain. Many RING finger proteins have been found to act as ubiquitin E3 ligase enzymes, stimulating the production of conjugated polyubiquitin chains in the presence of ubiquitin, the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, and the appropriate E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. Substrate proteins that become polyubiquitinated are then subject to degradation by proteasomes. We have previously shown that purified full-length ICP0 acts as an efficient E3 ligase in vitro, producing high-molecular-weight polyubiquitin chains in a RING finger-dependent but substrate-independent manner. In this paper we report on investigations into the factors governing the degradation of PML induced by ICP0 in a variety of in vivo and in vitro assays. We found that ICP0 expression increases the levels of ubiquitinated PML in transfected cells. However, ICP0 does not interact with or directly ubiquitinate either unmodified PML or SUMO-1-modified PML in vitro, suggesting either that additional factors are required for the ICP0-mediated ubiquitination of PML in vivo or that PML degradation is an indirect consequence of some other activity of ICP0 at ND10. Using a transfection-based approach and a family of deletion and point mutations of PML, we found that efficient ICP0-induced PML degradation requires sequences within the C-terminal part of PML and lysine residue 160, one of the principal targets for SUMO-1 modification of the protein.
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PMID:PML residue lysine 160 is required for the degradation of PML induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 regulatory protein ICP0. 1288 87

E2 conjugating enzymes form a thiol ester intermediate with ubiquitin, which is subsequently transferred to a substrate protein targeted for degradation. While all E2 proteins comprise a catalytic domain where the thiol ester is formed, several E2s (class II) have C-terminal extensions proposed to control substrate recognition, dimerization, or polyubiquitin chain formation. Here we present the novel solution structure of the class II E2 conjugating enzyme Ubc1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The structure shows the N-terminal catalytic domain adopts an alpha/beta fold typical of other E2 proteins. This domain is physically separated from its C-terminal domain by a 22-residue flexible tether. The C-terminal domain adopts a three-helix bundle that we have identified as an ubiquitin-associated domain (UBA). NMR chemical shift perturbation experiments show this UBA domain interacts in a regioselective manner with ubiquitin. This two-domain structure of Ubc1 was used to identify other UBA-containing class II E2 proteins, including human E2-25K, that likely have a similar architecture and to determine the role of the UBA domain in facilitating polyubiquitin chain formation.
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PMID:Solution structure of the flexible class II ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc1 provides insights for polyubiquitin chain assembly. 1532 41

Ubiquitin-positive deposits are histopathologically found in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is not understood why ubiquitin is accumulated in intra- and extra-cellular deposits or how it is involved in AD pathogenesis. Interestingly, recent evidence, including studies of E2-25K/Hip-2, has elucidated the molecular mechanism of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) malfunction in AD. The neurotoxicity and proteasome inhibition by Abeta, a main cause of AD pathogenesis, are mediated by increased E2-25K/Hip-2 in the brains of patients with AD. Furthermore, E2-25K/Hip-2 is required for the neurotoxicity that is mediated by a ubiquitin B mutant (UBB+1), which is a potent inhibitor of proteasomes that is found in patients with AD. Intensive research is required to identify the components of the UPS that are involved in AD pathogenesis.
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PMID:Alzheimer's disease meets the ubiquitin-proteasome system. 1551 83

The Ubc13 E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme is key in the process of 'tagging' target proteins with lysine 63-linked polyubiquitin chains, which are essential for the transmission of immune receptor signals culminating in activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. Here we demonstrate that conditional ablation of Ubc13 resulted in defective B cell development and in impaired B cell and macrophage activation. In response to all tested stimuli except tumor necrosis factor, Ubc13-deficient cells showed almost normal NF-kappaB activation but considerably impaired activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Ubc13-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase required, at least in part, ubiquitination of the adaptor protein IKKgamma. These results show that Ubc13 is key in the mammalian immune response.
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PMID:Key function for the Ubc13 E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme in immune receptor signaling. 1692 51


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