The concentrations and functions of many eukaryotic proteins are regulated by the ubiquitin pathway, which consists of ubiquitin activation (E1), conjugation (E2), and ligation (E3). Cullins are a family of evolutionarily conserved proteins that assemble by far the largest family of E3 ligase complexes. Cullins, via a conserved C-terminal domain, bind with the RING finger protein Roc1 to recruit the catalytic function of E2. Via a distinct N-terminal domain, individual cullins bind to a protein motif present in multiple proteins to recruit specific substrates. Cullin 3 (Cul3), but not other cullins, binds directly with BTB domains to constitute a potentially large number of BTB-CUL3-ROC1 E3 ubiquitin ligases. Here we report that the human BTB-Kelch protein Keap1, a negative regulator of the antioxidative transcription factor Nrf2, binds to CUL3 and Nrf2 via its BTB and Kelch domains, respectively. The KEAP1-CUL3-ROC1 complex promoted NRF2 ubiquitination in vitro and knocking down Keap1 or CUL3 by short interfering RNA resulted in NRF2 protein accumulation in vivo. We suggest that Keap1 negatively regulates Nrf2 function in part by targeting Nrf2 for ubiquitination by the CUL3-ROC1 ligase and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Blocking NRF2 degradation in cells expressing both KEAP1 and NRF2 by either inhibiting the proteasome activity or knocking down Cul3, resulted in NRF2 accumulation in the cytoplasm. These results may reconcile previously observed cytoplasmic sequestration of NRF2 by KEAP1 and suggest a possible regulatory step between KEAP1-NRF2 binding and NRF2 degradation.Covalent conjugation of proteins by ubiquitin or ubiquitinlike modifiers usually involves a cascade of three enzymatic activities for activating (E1), conjugating (E2), and ligating (E3) ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like modifiers to a substrate. The E3 ubiquitin ligases contain two distinct functions: catalyzing isopeptide bond formation and recruiting the substrate (15,16,22). Two major families of E3 ligases have been described; the HECT domain family that is defined by its homology to E6-associated protein carboxyl terminus (named HECT for homology to E6-associated protein carboxyl terminus) and the RING family that contains either an intrinsic RING finger domain or an associated RING finger protein subunit essential for ubiquitin ligase activity (6,35,48).Of several hundred RING finger proteins, ROC1 (named ROC for RING of cullins; also known as Rbx1, Hrt1, and SAG1) is uniquely linked with the ubiquitination of a potentially large number of substrates (8,20,34,37,39,41). Unlike most other RING finger proteins, ROC1 (108 residues) is a small protein with the RING finger taking up 60% of the coding region. Extensive mutational analyses have demonstrated the requirement of the integrity of the RING finger for ubiquitin ligase activity (5,20,33,34). Purified recombinant ROC1 and ROC2 or their RING finger alone, like that of APC11 (14,26), are capable of activating E2-UbcH5 to synthesize polyubiquitin chains in the presence of E1, and ...

The concentrations and functions of many cellular proteins are regulated by the ubiquitin pathway. Cullin family proteins bind with the RING-finger protein Roc1 to recruit the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) to the ubiquitin ligase complex (E3). Cul1 and Cul7, but not other cullins, bind to an adaptor protein, Skp1. Cul1 associates with one of many F-box proteins through Skp1 to assemble various SCF-Roc1 E3 ligases that each selectively ubiquitinate one or more specific substrates. Here, we show that Cul3, but not other cullins, binds directly to multiple BTB domains through a conserved amino-terminal domain. In vitro, Cul3 promoted ubiquitination of Caenorhabditis elegans MEI-1, a katanin-like protein whose degradation requires the function of both Cul3 and BTB protein MEL-26. We suggest that in vivo there exists a potentially large number of BCR3 (BTB-Cul3-Roc1) E3 ubiquitin ligases.

Cullin proteins assemble a large number of RING E3 ubiquitin ligases and regulate various physiological processes. Covalent modification of cullins by the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 activates cullin ligases through an as yet undefined mechanism. We show here that p120(CAND1) selectively binds to unneddylated CUL1 and is dissociated by CUL1 neddylation. CAND1 formed a ternary complex with CUL1 and ROC1. CAND1 dissociated SKP1 from CUL1 and inhibited SCF ligase activity in vitro. Suppression of CAND1 in vivo increased the level of the CUL1-SKP1 complex. We suggest that by restricting SKP1-CUL1 interaction, CAND1 regulated the assembly of productive SCF ubiquitin ligases, allowing a common CUL1-ROC core to be utilized by a large number of SKP1-F box-substrate subcomplexes.

The actin monomer sequestering agent latrunculin B depolymerized beta-cell cortical actin, which resulted in increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in both cultured MIN6 beta-cells and isolated rat islet cells. In perifused islets, latrunculin B treatment increased both first- and second-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion without any significant effect on total insulin content. This increase in secretion was independent of calcium regulation because latrunculin B also potentiated calcium-stimulated insulin secretion in permeabilized MIN6 cells. Confocal immunofluorescent microscopy revealed a redistribution of insulin granules to the cell periphery in response to glucose or latrunculin B, which correlated with a reduction in phalloidin staining of cortical actin. Moreover, the t-SNARE [target membrane soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein (SNAP) receptor] proteins Syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25 coimmunoprecipitated polymerized actin from unstimulated MIN6 cells. Glucose stimulation transiently decreased the amount of actin coimmunoprecipitated with Syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25, and latrunculin B treatment fully ablated the coimmunoprecipitation. In contrast, the actin stabilizing agent jasplakinolide increased the amount of actin coimmunoprecipitated with the t-SNARE complex and prevented its dissociation upon glucose stimulation. These data suggest a mechanism whereby glucose modulates beta-cell cortical actin organization and disrupts the interaction of polymerized actin with the plasma membrane t-SNARE complex at a distal regulatory step in the exocytosis of insulin granules.

Highlights d Bile acid 7a-dehydroxylating gut bacteria secrete tryptophan-derived antibiotics d Secondary bile acid enhanced the activity of these antibiotics d Tryptophan-derived antibiotics appear to inhibit the division septum of bacteria d Clostridium difficile secretes proline-based cyclic dipeptides