The Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4-DCAF1 complex dimerizes via a short helical region in DCAF1

Biochemistry. 2011 Mar 1;50(8):1359-67. doi: 10.1021/bi101749s. Epub 2011 Jan 31.

Abstract

The cullin4A-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL4) is a multisubunit protein complex, comprising cullin4A (CUL4), RING H2 finger protein (RBX1), and DNA damage-binding protein 1 (DDB1). Proteins that recruit specific targets to CRL4 for ubiquitination (ubiquitylation) bind the DDB1 adaptor protein via WD40 domains. Such CRL4 substrate recognition modules are DDB1- and CUL4-associated factors (DCAFs). Here we show that, for DCAF1, oligomerization of the protein and the CRL4 complex occurs via a short helical region (residues 845-873) N-terminal to DACF1's own WD40 domain. This sequence was previously designated as a LIS1 homology (LisH) motif. The oligomerization helix contains a stretch of four Leu residues, which appear to be essential for α-helical structure and oligomerization. In vitro reconstituted CRL4-DCAF1 complexes (CRL4(DCAF1)) form symmetric dimers as visualized by electron microscopy (EM), and dimeric CRL4(DCAF1) is a better E3 ligase for in vitro ubiquitination of the UNG2 substrate compared to a monomeric complex.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Motifs
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Humans
  • Insecta / cytology
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Rats
  • Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid
  • Solutions
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / chemistry*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Peptides
  • Solutions
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases