In acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), the promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) protein is fused to the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR). This disease can be treated effectively with arsenic, which induces PML modification by small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO) and proteasomal degradation. Here we demonstrate that the RING-domain-containing ubiquitin E3 ligase, RNF4 (also known as SNURF), targets poly-SUMO-modified proteins for degradation mediated by ubiquitin. RNF4 depletion or proteasome inhibition led to accumulation of mixed, polyubiquitinated, poly-SUMO chains. PML protein accumulated in RNF4-depleted cells and was ubiquitinated by RNF4 in a SUMO-dependent fashion in vitro. In the absence of RNF4, arsenic failed to induce degradation of PML and SUMO-modified PML accumulated in the nucleus. These results demonstrate that poly-SUMO chains can act as discrete signals from mono-SUMOylation, in this case targeting a poly-SUMOylated substrate for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis.

Activation of NF-kappaB is achieved by ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation of IkappaBalpha. We have detected modified IkappaBalpha, conjugated to the small ubiquitin-like protein SUMO-1, which is resistant to signal-induced degradation. In the presence of an E1 SUMO-1-activating enzyme, Ubch9 conjugated SUMO-1 to IkappaBalpha primarily on K21, which is also utilized for ubiquitin modification. Thus, SUMO-1-modified IkappaBalpha cannot be ubiquitinated and is resistant to proteasome-mediated degradation. As a result, overexpression of SUMO-1 inhibits signal-induced activation of NF-kappaB-dependent transcription. Unlike ubiquitin modification, which requires phosphorylation of S32 and S36, SUMO-1 modification of IkappaBalpha is inhibited by phosphorylation. Thus, while ubiquitination targets proteins for rapid degradation, SUMO-1 modification acts antagonistically to generate proteins resistant to degradation.

SUMMARYUbiquitin modification is mediated by a large family of specificity determining ubiquitin E3 ligases. To facilitate ubiquitin transfer, RING E3 ligases bind both substrate and a ubiquitin E2 conjugating enzyme linked to ubiquitin via a thioester bond, but the mechanism of transfer has remained elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of the dimeric RING of RNF4 in complex with E2 (UbcH5a) linked by an isopeptide bond to ubiquitin. While the E2 contacts a single protomer of the RING, ubiquitin is folded back onto the E2 by contacts from both RING protomers. The C-terminal tail of ubiquitin is locked into an active site groove on the E2 by an intricate network of interactions, resulting in changes at the E2 active site. This arrangement is primed for catalysis as it can deprotonate the incoming substrate lysine residue and stabilise the consequent tetrahedral transition state intermediate.