title: Autoubiquitylation of the V(D)J recombinase protein RAG1.
abstract: V(D)J recombination, the rearrangement of gene segments to assemble Ig and T cell receptor coding regions, is vital to B and T lymphocyte development. Here, we demonstrate that the V(D)J recombinase protein RAG1 undergoes ubiquitylation in cells. In vitro, the RING finger domain of RAG1 acts as a ubiquitin ligase that mediates its own ubiquitylation at a highly conserved K residue in the RAG1 amino-terminal region. Ubiquitylation is best supported by a specific ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, UbcH3/CDC34, and requires an intact RAG1 RING finger motif. Disruption of the RING finger and certain RAG1 N-terminal truncations are associated with immunodeficiency in human patients, suggesting that RAG1's ubiquitin ligase is required for its biological role in lymphocyte development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 5/Room 241, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gellert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D045567:VDJ Recombinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C499311:RAG2 protein, human; C499308:Rag2 protein, mouse; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D025801:Ubiquitin; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C064658:RAG-1 protein; D045567:VDJ Recombinases; D015032:Zinc