Browsing by Subject "Cullin Proteins"

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    A negative feedback loop mediated by the Bcl6-cullin 3 complex limits Tfh cell differentiation
    (Rockefeller University Press, 2014-06-02) Matthew, Rebecca; Mao, Ai-ping; Chiang, Andrew H.; Bertozzi-Villa, Clara; Bunker, Jeffery J.; Scanlon, Seth T.; McDonald, Benjamin D.; Constantinides, Michael G.; Hollister, Kristin; Singer, Jeffrey D.; Dent, Alexander L.; Dinner, Aaron R.; Bendelac, Albert; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, IU School of Medicine
    Induction of Bcl6 (B cell lymphoma 6) is essential for T follicular helper (Tfh) cell differentiation of antigen-stimulated CD4(+) T cells. Intriguingly, we found that Bcl6 was also highly and transiently expressed during the CD4(+)CD8(+) (double positive [DP]) stage of T cell development, in association with the E3 ligase cullin 3 (Cul3), a novel binding partner of Bcl6 which ubiquitinates histone proteins. DP stage-specific deletion of the E3 ligase Cul3, or of Bcl6, induced the derepression of the Bcl6 target genes Batf (basic leucine zipper transcription factor, ATF-like) and Bcl6, in part through epigenetic modifications of CD4(+) single-positive thymocytes. Although they maintained an apparently normal phenotype after emigration, they expressed increased amounts of Batf and Bcl6 at basal state and produced explosive and prolonged Tfh responses upon subsequent antigen encounter. Ablation of Cul3 in mature CD4(+) splenocytes also resulted in dramatically exaggerated Tfh responses. Thus, although previous studies have emphasized the essential role of Bcl6 in inducing Tfh responses, our findings reveal that Bcl6-Cul3 complexes also provide essential negative feedback regulation during both thymocyte development and T cell activation to restrain excessive Tfh responses.
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    SPOP Promotes Ubiquitination and Degradation of the ERG Oncoprotein to Suppress Prostate Cancer Progression
    (Elsevier, 2015-09-17) Gan, Wenjian; Dai, Xiangpeng; Lunardi, Andrea; Li, Zhen; Inuzuka, Hiroyuki; Liu, Pengda; Varmeh, Shoreh; Zhang, Jinfang; Cheng, Liang; Sun, Yin; Asara, John M.; Beck, Andrew H.; Huang, Jiaoti; Pandolfi, Pier Paolo; Wei, Wenyi; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    The ERG gene is fused to TMPRSS2 in approximately 50% of prostate cancers (PrCa), resulting in its overexpression. However, whether this is the sole mechanism underlying ERG elevation in PrCa is currently unclear. Here we report that ERG ubiquitination and degradation are governed by the Cullin 3-based ubiquitin ligase SPOP and that deficiency in this pathway leads to aberrant elevation of the ERG oncoprotein. Specifically, we find that truncated ERG (ΔERG), encoded by the ERG fusion gene, is stabilized by evading SPOP-mediated destruction, whereas prostate cancer-associated SPOP mutants are also deficient in promoting ERG ubiquitination. Furthermore, we show that the SPOP/ERG interaction is modulated by CKI-mediated phosphorylation. Importantly, we demonstrate that DNA damage drugs, topoisomerase inhibitors, can trigger CKI activation to restore the SPOP/ΔERG interaction and its consequent degradation. Therefore, SPOP functions as a tumor suppressor to negatively regulate the stability of the ERG oncoprotein in prostate cancer.