Cullin–RING complexes comprise the largest known class of ubiquitin ligases. Owing to the great diversity of their substrate-receptor subunits, it is possible that there are hundreds of distinct cullin–RING ubiquitin ligases in eukaryotic cells, which establishes these enzymes as key mediators of post-translational protein regulation. In this review, we focus on the composition, regulation and function of cullin–RING ligases, and describe how these enzymes can be characterized by a set of general principles.

Function and regulation of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases.

Microtubules are cytoskeletal polymers of tubulin involved in many cellular functions. Their dynamic instability is controlled by numerous compounds and proteins, including colchicine and stathmin family proteins. The way in which microtubule instability is regulated at the molecular level has remained elusive, mainly because of the lack of appropriate structural data. Here, we present the structure, at 3.5 A resolution, of tubulin in complex with colchicine and with the stathmin-like domain (SLD) of RB3. It shows the interaction of RB3-SLD with two tubulin heterodimers in a curved complex capped by the SLD amino-terminal domain, which prevents the incorporation of the complexed tubulin into microtubules. A comparison with the structure of tubulin in protofilaments shows changes in the subunits of tubulin as it switches from its straight conformation to a curved one. These changes correlate with the loss of lateral contacts and provide a rationale for the rapid microtubule depolymerization characteristic of dynamic instability. Moreover, the tubulin-colchicine complex sheds light on the mechanism of colchicine's activity: we show that colchicine binds at a location where it prevents curved tubulin from adopting a straight structure, which inhibits assembly.

Insight into tubulin regulation from a complex with colchicine and a stathmin-like domain

A driving force of the cell cycle is the activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), the activities of which are controlled by the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of key regulators such as cyclins and CDK inhibitors. Two ubiquitin ligases, the SKP1-CUL1-F-box-protein (SCF) complex and the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), are responsible for the specific ubiquitylation of many of these regulators. Deregulation of the proteolytic system might result in uncontrolled proliferation, genomic instability and cancer. Cumulative clinical evidence shows alterations in the ubiquitylation of cell-cycle regulators in the aetiology of many human malignancies. A better understanding of the ubiquitylation machinery will provide new insights into the regulatory biology of cell-cycle transitions and the development of anti-cancer drugs.

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Ubiquitin ligases: cell-cycle control and cancer

Myc genes are key regulators of cell proliferation, and their deregulation contributes to the genesis of most human tumours. Recently, a wealth of data has shed new light on the biochemical functions of Myc proteins and on the mechanisms through which they function in cellular transformation.

Transcriptional regulation and transformation by Myc proteins

The role of the myc gene family in the biology of normal and cancer cells has been intensively studied since the early 1980s. myc genes, responding to diverse external and internal signals, express transcription factors (c-, N-, and L-Myc) that heterodimerize with Max, bind DNA, and modulate expression of a specific set of target genes. Over the last few years, expression profiling, genomic binding studies, and genetic analyses in mammals and Drosophila have led to an expanded view of Myc function. This review is focused on two major aspects of Myc: the nature of the genes and pathways that are targeted by Myc, and the role of Myc in stem cell and cancer biology.

Myc's broad reach.

The F-Box Protein Skp2 Participates in c-Myc Proteosomal Degradation and Acts as a Cofactor for c-Myc-Regulated Transcription

The c-Myc oncoprotein is a transcription factor that controls genes involved in cell growth, apoptosis and oncogenesis. We and others recently showed that the F-box protein Skp2 interacts with c-Myc and participates in its ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Surprisingly, Skp2 was also found to act as a positive cofactor for c-Myc-regulated transcription. Further, Skp2, ubiquitylated proteins and subunits of the proteasome were demonstrated to be associated with a c-Myc target promoter in vivo. We show here that c-Myc interacts with Skp2 as part of the SCFSkp2 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Further, c-Myc interacts with the Sug1, an AAA ATPase subunit of the 19S regulatory particle of the proteasome. Inhibition of Sug1 expression by siRNA reduced transcription from a Myc target promoter to the same extent as c-Myc or Skp2 siRNA, implicating Sug1in this process. Taken together these findings suggest a role of the ubiquitin/proteasome system in c-Myc-regulated transcription. A hypothetical model discussing the link between ubiquitylation and transcription will be presented.

Sara Johansson

Papers

The F-Box Protein Skp2 Participates in c-Myc Proteosomal Degradation and Acts as a Cofactor for c-Myc-Regulated Transcription

Implication of the Ubiquitin/Proteasome System in Myc-Regulated Transcription