scholarly journals Strategies for the identification of ubiquitin ligase inhibitors

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth J. Goldenberg ◽  
Jeffrey G. Marblestone ◽  
Michael R. Mattern ◽  
Benjamin Nicholson

Dysregulation of the UPS (ubiquitin–proteasome system) has been implicated in a wide range of pathologies including cancer, neurodegeneration and viral infection. Inhibiting the proteasome has been shown to be an effective therapeutic strategy in humans; however, toxicity with this target remains high. E3s (Ub–protein ligases) represent an alternative attractive therapeutic target in the UPS. In this paper, we will discuss current platforms that report on E3 ligase activity and can detect E3 inhibitors, and underline the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 828-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth J. Goldenberg ◽  
Jeffrey L. McDermott ◽  
Tauseef R. Butt ◽  
Michael R. Mattern ◽  
Benjamin Nicholson

Dysregulation of the UPS (ubiquitin–proteasome system) has been implicated in a wide range of pathologies including cancer, neurodegeneration and viral infection. Inhibiting the proteasome has been shown to be an effective therapeutic strategy in humans; yet toxicity with this target remains high. DUBs (deubiquitinating enzymes) represent an alternative target in the UPS with low predicted toxicity. Currently, there are no DUB inhibitors that have been used clinically. To address this situation, Progenra has developed a novel assay to measure the proteolytic cleavage of Ub (ubiquitin) or UBL (Ub-like protein) conjugates such as SUMO (small Ub-related modifier), NEDD8 (neural-precursor-cell-expressed, developmentally down-regulated 8) or ISG15 (interferon-stimulated gene 15) by isopeptidases. In this review, current platforms for detecting DUB inhibitors are discussed and the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches are underlined.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 795
Author(s):  
Leticia Matilla-Cuenca ◽  
Alejandro Toledo-Arana ◽  
Jaione Valle

The choice of an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of biofilm-related infections is a significant issue. Amyloids, which have been historically related to human diseases, are now considered to be prevailing structural components of the biofilm matrix in a wide range of bacteria. This assumption creates the potential for an exciting research area, in which functional amyloids are considered to be attractive targets for drug development to dissemble biofilm structures. The present review describes the best-characterized bacterial functional amyloids and focuses on anti-biofilm agents that target intrinsic and facultative amyloids. This study provides a better understanding of the different modes of actions of the anti-amyloid molecules to inhibit biofilm formation. This information can be further exploited to improve the therapeutic strategies to combat biofilm-related infections.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1577
Author(s):  
Nuria Tubío-Santamaría ◽  
Frédéric Ebstein ◽  
Florian H. Heidel ◽  
Elke Krüger

The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is a central part of protein homeostasis, degrading not only misfolded or oxidized proteins but also proteins with essential functions. The fact that a healthy hematopoietic system relies on the regulation of protein homeostasis and that alterations in the UPS can lead to malignant transformation makes the UPS an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Herein, inhibitors of the proteasome, the last and most important component of the UPS enzymatic cascade, have been approved for the treatment of these malignancies. However, their use has been associated with side effects, drug resistance, and relapse. Inhibitors of the immunoproteasome, a proteasomal variant constitutively expressed in the cells of hematopoietic origin, could potentially overcome the encountered problems of non-selective proteasome inhibition. Immunoproteasome inhibitors have demonstrated their efficacy and safety against inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, even though their development for the treatment of hematologic malignancies is still in the early phases. Various immunoproteasome inhibitors have shown promising preliminary results in pre-clinical studies, and one inhibitor is currently being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Here, we will review data on immunoproteasome function and inhibition in hematopoietic cells and hematologic cancers.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 283
Author(s):  
Daniel Aghaie Madsen ◽  
Sissel Ida Schmidt ◽  
Morten Blaabjerg ◽  
Morten Meyer

Parkin and α-synuclein are two key proteins involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Neurotoxic alterations of α-synuclein that lead to the formation of toxic oligomers and fibrils contribute to PD through synaptic dysfunction, mitochondrial impairment, defective endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi function, and nuclear dysfunction. In half of the cases, the recessively inherited early-onset PD is caused by loss of function mutations in the PARK2 gene that encodes the E3-ubiquitin ligase, parkin. Parkin is involved in the clearance of misfolded and aggregated proteins by the ubiquitin-proteasome system and regulates mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. PARK2-related PD is generally thought not to be associated with Lewy body formation although it is a neuropathological hallmark of PD. In this review article, we provide an overview of post-mortem neuropathological examinations of PARK2 patients and present the current knowledge of a functional interaction between parkin and α-synuclein in the regulation of protein aggregates including Lewy bodies. Furthermore, we describe prevailing hypotheses about the formation of intracellular micro-aggregates (synuclein inclusions) that might be more likely than Lewy bodies to occur in PARK2-related PD. This information may inform future studies aiming to unveil primary signaling processes involved in PD and related neurodegenerative disorders.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhui Li ◽  
Mark Hochstrasser

The proteasome is central to proteolysis by the ubiquitin-proteasome system under normal growth conditions but is itself degraded through macroautophagy under nutrient stress. A recently described AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase)-regulated ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport)-dependent microautophagy pathway also regulates proteasome trafficking and degradation in low glucose conditions in yeast. Aberrant proteasomes are more prone to microautophagy, suggesting the ESCRT system fine-tunes proteasome quality control under low glucose stress. Here we uncover additional features of the selective microautophagy of proteasomes. Genetic or pharmacological induction of aberrant proteasomes is associated with increased mono- or oligo-ubiquitylation of proteasome components, which appear to be recognized by ESCRT-0. AMPK controls this pathway in part by regulating the trafficking of ESCRT-0 to the vacuole surface, which also leads to degradation of the Vps27 subunit of ESCRT-0. The Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase contributes to proteasome subunit ubiquitylation, and multiple ubiquitin-binding elements in Vps27 are involved in their recognition. We propose that ESCRT-0 at the vacuole surface recognizes ubiquitylated proteasomes and initiates their microautophagic elimination during glucose depletion.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Su ◽  
Mingyue Yang ◽  
Pingping Wang ◽  
Yanxiu Zhao ◽  
Changle Ma

All eukaryotes rely on the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy to control the abundance of key regulatory proteins and maintain a healthy intracellular environment. In the UPS, damaged or superfluous proteins are ubiquitinated and degraded in the proteasome, mediated by three types of ubiquitin enzymes: E1s (ubiquitin activating enzymes), E2s (ubiquitin conjugating enzymes), and E3s (ubiquitin protein ligases). Conversely, in autophagy, a vesicular autophagosome is formed that transfers damaged proteins and organelles to the vacuole, mediated by a series of ATGs (autophagy related genes). Despite the use of two completely different componential systems, the UPS and autophagy are closely interconnected and mutually regulated. During autophagy, ATG8 proteins, which are autophagosome markers, decorate the autophagosome membrane similarly to ubiquitination of damaged proteins. Ubiquitin is also involved in many selective autophagy processes and is thus a common factor of the UPS and autophagy. Additionally, the components of the UPS, such as the 26S proteasome, can be degraded via autophagy, and conversely, ATGs can be degraded by the UPS, indicating cross regulation between the two pathways. The UPS and autophagy cooperate and jointly regulate homeostasis of cellular components during plant development and stress response.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaowei Wu ◽  
Qingyu Luo ◽  
Zhihua Liu

Abstract MCL1 is an important antiapoptotic member of the BCL-2 family that is distinguishable from other family members based on its relatively short half-life. Emerging studies have revealed the crucial role of MCL1 in the chemoresistance of cancer cells. The antiapoptotic function of MCL1 makes it a popular therapeutic target, although specific inhibitors have begun to emerge only recently. Notably, emerging studies have reported that several E3 ligases and deubiquitinases modulate MCL1 stability, providing an alternate means of targeting MCL1 activity. In addition, the emergence and development of proteolysis-targeting chimeras, the function of which is based on ubiquitination-mediated degradation, has shown great potential. In this review, we provide an overview of the studies investigating the ubiquitination and deubiquitination of MCL1, summarize the latest evidence regarding the development of therapeutic strategies targeting MCL1 in cancer treatment, and discuss the promising future of targeting MCL1 via the ubiquitin–proteasome system in clinical practice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasha Tao ◽  
Pengfei Liu ◽  
Gang Luo ◽  
Montserrat Rojo de la Vega ◽  
Heping Chen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Activation of the stress-responsive transcription factor NRF2 is the major line of defense to combat oxidative or electrophilic insults. Under basal conditions, NRF2 is continuously ubiquitylated by the KEAP1-CUL3-RBX1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex and is targeted to the proteasome for degradation (the canonical mechanism). However, the path from the CUL3 complex to ultimate proteasomal degradation was previously unknown. p97 is a ubiquitin-targeted ATP-dependent segregase that extracts ubiquitylated client proteins from membranes, protein complexes, or chromatin and has an essential role in autophagy and the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). In this study, we show that p97 negatively regulates NRF2 through the canonical pathway by extracting ubiquitylated NRF2 from the KEAP1-CUL3 E3 complex, with the aid of the heterodimeric cofactor UFD1/NPL4 and the UBA-UBX-containing protein UBXN7, for efficient proteasomal degradation. Given the role of NRF2 in chemoresistance and the surging interest in p97 inhibitors to treat cancers, our results indicate that dual p97/NRF2 inhibitors may offer a more potent and long-term avenue of p97-targeted treatment.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (9) ◽  
pp. 3128-3135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurgen A. F. Marteijn ◽  
Laurens T. van der Meer ◽  
Liesbeth van Emst ◽  
Simon van Reijmersdal ◽  
Willemijn Wissink ◽  
...  

Abstract Growth factor independence 1 (Gfi1) is a transcriptional repressor essential for the function and development of many different hematopoietic lineages. The Gfi1 protein expression is regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In granulocytes, Gfi1 is rapidly degraded by the proteasome, while it is more stable in monocytes. How the ubiquitination and degradation of Gfi1 is regulated is unclear. Here, we show that the ubiquitin ligase Triad1 interacts with the DNA-binding domain of Gfi1. Unexpectedly, we found that Triad1 inhibited Gfi1 ubiquitination, resulting in a prolonged half-life. Down-regulation of endogenous Triad1 by siRNAs resulted in increased Gfi1 ubiquitination. In U937 cells, Triad1 caused an increase in endogenous Gfi1 protein levels and slowed cell proliferation in a similar manner when Gfi1 itself was expressed. A Triad1 mutant that lacks the Gfi1-binding domain did not affect Gfi1 levels and proliferation. Because neither proteasome-ubiquitin nor Triad1 ubiquitin ligase activity was required for the inhibition of Gfi1 ubiquitination, these data suggest that Triad1 competes for Gfi1 binding with as yet to be identified E3 ubiquitin ligases that do mark Gfi1 for proteasomal degradation. The finetuning of Gfi1 protein levels regulated by Triad1 defines an unexpected role for this protein in hematopoiesis.


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