The ubiquitin-protein ligase EDD encodes an orthologue of the hyperplastic discs tumor suppressor gene, which has a critical role in Drosophila development. Frequent allelic imbalance at the EDD chromosomal locus in human cancers suggests a role in tumorigenesis. In addition to a HECT (homologous to E6-AP carboxyl terminus) domain, the EDD protein contains a UBR1 zinc finger motif and ubiquitin-associated domain, each of which indicates involvement in ubiquitinylation pathways. This study shows that EDD interacts with importin ␣5 through consensus basic nuclear localization signals and is localized in cell nuclei. EDD also binds progesterone receptor (PR) and potentiates progestin-mediated gene transactivation. This activity is comparable with that of the coactivator SRC-1, but, in contrast, the interaction between EDD and PR does not appear to involve an LXXLL receptor-binding motif. EDD also binds calcium-and integrin-binding protein/ DNA-dependent protein kinase-interacting protein, a potential target of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and an altered association is found between EDD and calcium-and integrin-binding protein/DNA-dependent protein kinase-interacting protein in response to DNA damage. The data presented here demonstrate a role for EDD in PR signaling but also suggest a link to cancer through DNA damage response pathways.The EDD gene, the apparent human orthologue of the Drosophila melanogaster gene "hyperplastic discs" (hyd), was originally isolated as a progestin-induced gene (1). Some mutations in hyd result in hyperplasia of larval imaginal discs, suggesting hyd functions as a tumor suppressor gene. The proposed function of the HYD protein in Drosophila in initiation, maintenance, and/or termination of cell proliferation (2) points to a pivotal role in coordinating the balance between cell cycle progression and differentiation. Many pathways controlling these processes are highly conserved through evolution, and consequently mutations in orthologous genes can have hyperplastic or tumorigenic effects in both mammals and Drosophila. Notch gene mutations, for example, result in hyperplasia of the embryonic nervous system in Drosophila and have also been linked to human leukemia and breast cancer (3), whereas the Patched gene product is required for correct Drosophila development and if mutated in humans causes developmental abnormalities together with predisposition to basal cell carcinoma (4). Similarly, tumors are produced in both Drosophila and mice upon deletion of the large tumor suppressor gene (lats) (5). Based on these precedents, recent studies have sought to determine the normal biological functions of EDD and whether it has a role in human cancer (1, 6).
1Although the cellular functions of the EDD and HYD proteins are unknown, significant homology exists between their carboxyl termini and those of E6-AP and related proteins (7, 8). These HECT 2 (for homologous to E6-AP carboxyl terminus) family proteins form a subclass of ubiquitin-protein ligases (E3 enzymes) playing a role in the ubi...