A Non-Canonical Function of Gβ as a Subunit of E3 Ligase in Targeting GRK2 Ubiquitylation

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the largest family of cell-surface receptors, regulate a wide range of physiological processes, and are the major targets of pharmaceutical drugs. Canonical signaling from GPCRs is relayed to intracellular effector proteins by trimeric G proteins, composed of α, β, and γ subunits (Gαβγ). Here, we report that G-protein β subunits (Gβ) bind to DDB1 and that Gβ2 targets GRK2 for ubiquitylation by the DDB1-CUL4A-ROC1 ubiquitin ligase. Activation of GPCR results in PKA-mediated phosphorylation of DDB1 at Ser645 and its dissociation from Gβ2, leading to increase of GRK2 protein. Deletion of Cul4a results in cardiac hypertrophy in male mice that can be partially rescued by the deletion of one Grk2 allele. These results reveal a non-canonical function of the Gβ protein as a ubiquitin ligase component and a mechanism of feedback regulation of GPCR signaling

Cul4A regulates proliferation, genomic stability and spermatogenesis in mice.

Cul4A regulates proliferation, genomic stability and spermatogenesis in mice

The Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group E Gene Product DDB2 Activates Nucleotide Excision Repair by Regulating the Level of p21Waf1/Cip1▿ †

The xeroderma pigmentosum group E gene product DDB2, a protein involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER), associates with the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex Cul4A-DDB1. But the precise role of these interactions in the NER activity of DDB2 is unclear. Several models, including DDB2-mediated ubiquitination of histones in UV-irradiated cells, have been proposed. But those models lack clear genetic evidence. Here we show that DDB2 participates in NER by regulating the cellular levels of p21Waf1/Cip1. We show that DDB2 enhances nuclear accumulation of DDB1, which binds to a modified form of p53 containing phosphorylation at Ser18 (p53S18P) and targets it for degradation in low-dose-UV-irradiated cells. DDB2−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), unlike wild-type MEFs, are deficient in the proteolysis of p53S18P. Accumulation of p53S18P in DDB2−/− MEFs causes higher expression p21Waf1/Cip1. We show that the increased expression of p21Waf1/Cip1 is the cause NER deficiency in DDB2−/− cells because deletion or knockdown of p21Waf1/Cip1 reverses their NER-deficient phenotype. p21Waf1/Cip1 was shown to bind PCNA, which is required for both DNA replication and NER. Moreover, an increased level of p21Waf1/Cip1 was shown to inhibit NER both in vitro and in vivo. Our results provide genetic evidence linking the regulation of p21Waf1/Cip1 to the NER activity of DDB2

Author Correction: Plk1 Regulates the Repressor Function of FoxM1b by inhibiting its Interaction with the Retinoblastoma Protein

A correction has been published and is appended to both the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper

Identification of FOXM1 as a therapeutic target in B-cell lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

© 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.Despite recent advances in the cure rate of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the prognosis for patients with relapsed ALL remains poor. Here we identify FOXM1 as a candidate responsible for an aggressive clinical co

Essential roles of FoxM1 in Ras-induced liver cancer progression and in cancer cells with stem cell features

Background & aimsOverexpression of FoxM1 correlates with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, the Ras-signaling pathway is found to be ubiquitously activated in HCC through epigenetic silencing of the Ras-regulators. We investigated the roles of FoxM1 in Ras-driven HCC, and on HCC cells with stem-like features.MethodsWe employed a transgenic mouse model that expresses the oncogenic Ras in the liver. That strain was crossed with a strain that harbor floxed alleles of FoxM1 and the MxCre gene that allows conditional deletion of FoxM1. FoxM1 alleles were deleted after development of HCC, and the effects on the tumors were analyzed. Also, FoxM1 siRNA was used in human HCC cell lines to determine its role in the survival of the HCC cells with stem cell features.ResultsRas-driven tumors overexpress FoxM1. Deletion of FoxM1 inhibits HCC progression. There was increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the FoxM1 deleted HCC cells. Moreover, FoxM1 deletion caused a disproportionate loss of the CD44+ and EpCAM+ HCC cells in the tumors. We show that FoxM1 directly activates expression of CD44 in human HCC cells. Moreover, the human HCC cells with stem cell features are addicted to FoxM1 for ROS-regulation and survival.ConclusionOur results provide genetic evidence for an essential role of FoxM1 in the progression of Ras-driven HCC. In addition, FoxM1 is required for the expression of CD44 in HCC cells. Moreover, FoxM1 plays a critical role in the survival of the HCC cells with stem cell features by regulating ROS

FoxM1 Regulates Mammary Luminal Cell Fate

Elevated expression of FoxM1 in breast cancer correlates with an undifferentiated tumor phenotype and a negative clinical outcome. However, a role for FoxM1 in regulating mammary differentiation was not known. Here, we identify another function of FoxM1, the ability to act as a transcriptional repressor, which plays an important role in regulating the differentiation of luminal epithelial progenitors. Regeneration of mammary glands with elevated levels of FoxM1 leads to aberrant ductal morphology and expansion of the luminal progenitor pool. Conversely, knockdown of FoxM1 results in a shift toward the differentiated state. FoxM1 mediates these effects by repressing the key regulator of luminal differentiation, GATA-3. Through association with DNMT3b, FoxM1 promotes methylation of the GATA-3 promoter in an Rb-dependent manner. This study identifies FoxM1 as a critical regulator of mammary differentiation with significant implications for the development of aggressive breast cancers