title: Involvement of the rfp tripartite motif in protein-protein interactions and subcellular distribution.
abstract: The ret finger protein (rfp) is a member of the B box zinc finger gene family which possesses a tripartite motif consisting of a RING finger, B box finger, and a coiled-coil domain. Rfp is expressed at specific stages of spermatogenesis and in various adult mouse and human tissues. It becomes oncogenic when the tripartite domain is recombined with the tyrosine kinase domain of the ret protooncogene. Many of the B box family proteins function as homodimers, although the role of the individual components of the tripartite motif in this process remains unclear. We demonstrate that rfp homomultimerization occurs through the coiled-coil domains; however, while the B box is not an interacting interface itself, its structural integrity is necessary for this interaction to occur. This is the first evidence that the B box zinc finger domain is involved in regulating protein-protein interactions. Interestingly, we find that mutations of the RING finger and B box affect the subcellular compartmentalization of rfp in various cell lines. These results demonstrate that the interactions of rfp with itself and its association with specific subcellular compartments is dependent upon the function of all of the components of the tripartite motif. It is likely that these domains play a crucial role in the function of the rfp protein in normal cell differentiation and in its transformation potential in the recombined state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Borden
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Freemont
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Etkin
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics; D000070584:Tripartite Motif Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C064419:TRIM27 protein, human; D000070584:Tripartite Motif Proteins; C489296:Trim27 protein, mouse