A family of mammalian F-box proteins

Curr Biol. 1999 Oct 21;9(20):1180-2. doi: 10.1016/S0960-9822(00)80021-4.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Synthases / metabolism
  • Phylogeny
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Proteins / classification*
  • Proteins / genetics
  • SKP Cullin F-Box Protein Ligases
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques
  • Ubiquitins / metabolism

Substances

  • Proteins
  • Ubiquitins
  • SKP Cullin F-Box Protein Ligases
  • Peptide Synthases

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AF176520
  • GENBANK/AF176521
  • GENBANK/AF176522
  • GENBANK/AF176706