title: Identification of a family of noncanonical ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes structurally related to yeast UBC6.
abstract: Ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (UBCs) selectively target proteins for proteasomal degradation by the covalent attachment of ubiquitin moieties. Yeast UBC6 is unusual in having an active site distinct from all other UBCs and in possessing a transmembrane domain that anchors it to the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. During a differential display analysis on chick growth plate chondrocytes we isolated a cDNA encoding a noncanonical ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (NCUBE1) structurally similar to yeast UBC6. Chick NCUBE1 transcripts were detected in all tissues examined and decreased threefold during chondrocyte terminal differentiation. Database searches identified other related proteins; the human and mouse orthologues of NCUBE1, a second human homologue of yeast UBC6 (NCUBE2), and related proteins from S. pombe, C. elegans, and P. mariana. Together with yeast UBC6 these proteins constitute a distinct family of UBCs sharing a conserved noncanonical active site sequence and a C-terminal transmembrane domain. By analogy with yeast UBC6 they are likely to be localised to the endoplasmic reticulum where they may be involved in targeting retrotranslocated, ER-associated proteins for proteasomal degradation.
authors.affiliation: Bone Biology Group, Roslin Institute, Roslin, Scotland, EH25 9PS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farquharson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Houston
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D008025:Ligases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C082461:UBC6 protein, S cerevisiae; C489967:UBE2J1 protein, human; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D008025:Ligases