Control of cell fate by a deubiquitinating enzyme encoded by the fat facets gene.
Ubiquitin is a highly conserved polypeptide found in all eukaryotes. The major function of ubiquitin is to target proteins for complete or partial degradation by a multisubunit protein complex called the proteasome. Here, the Drosophila fat facets gene, which is required for the appropriate determination of particular cells in the fly eye, was shown to encode a ubiquitin-specific protease (Ubp), an enzyme that cleaves ubiquitin from ubiquitin-protein conjugates. The Fat facets protein (FAF) acts as a regulatory Ubp that prevents degradation of its substrate by the proteasome. Flies bearing fat facets gene mutations were used to show that a Ubp is cell type--and substrate-specific and a regulator of cell fate decisions in a multicellular organism.
Huang
Y
Y
Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin 78712, USA.
Baker
R T
RT
Fischer-Vize
J A
JA
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D003545:Cysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D010450:Endopeptidases; C059237:ubiquitin-Nalpha-protein hydrolase; D003545:Cysteine