Structural insights into anaphase-promoting complex function and mechanism

The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) controls sister chromatid segregation and the exit from mitosis by catalysing the ubiquitylation of cyclins and other cell cycle regulatory proteins. This unusually large E3 RING-cullin ubiquitin ligase is assembled from 13 different proteins. Selection of APC/C targets is controlled through recognition of short destruction motifs, predominantly the D box and KEN box. APC/C-mediated coordination of cell cycle progression is achieved through the temporal regulation of APC/C activity and substrate specificity, exerted through a combination of co-activator subunits, reversible phosphorylation and inhibitory proteins and complexes. Recent structural and biochemical studies of the APC/C are beginning to reveal an understanding of the roles of individual APC/C subunits and co-activators and how they mutually interact to mediate APC/C functions. This review focuses on the findings showing how information on the structural organization of the APC/C provides insights into the role of co-activators and core APC/C subunits in mediating substrate recognition. Mechanisms of regulating and modulating substrate recognition are discussed in the context of controlling the binding of the co-activator to the APC/C, and the accessibility and conformation of the co-activator when bound to the APC/C.     

The ubiquitin proteasome system — Implications for cell cycle control and the targeted treatment of cancer

Two families of E3 ubiquitin ligases are prominent in cell cycle regulation and mediate the timely and precise ubiquitin–proteasome-dependent degradation of key cell cycle proteins: the SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F-box protein) complex and the APC/C (anaphase promoting complex or cyclosome). While certain SCF ligases drive cell cycle progression throughout the cell cycle, APC/C (in complex with either of two substrate recruiting proteins: Cdc20 and Cdh1) orchestrates exit from mitosis (APC/C^Cdc20) and establishes a stable G1 phase (APC/C^Cdh1). Upon DNA damage or perturbation of the normal cell cycle, both ligases are involved in checkpoint activation. Mechanistic insight into these processes has significantly improved over the last ten years, largely due to a better understanding of APC/C and the functional characterization of multiple F-box proteins, the variable substrate recruiting components of SCF ligases. Here, we review the role of SCF- and APC/C-mediated ubiquitylation in the normal and perturbed cell cycle and discuss potential clinical implications of SCF and APC/C functions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Ubiquitin–Proteasome System. Guest Editors: Thomas Sommer and Dieter H. Wolf.     

State of the APC/C: organization, function, and structure

The ubiquitin-proteasome protein degradation system is involved in many essential cellular processes including cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, and the unfolded protein response. The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an evolutionarily conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase, was discovered 15 years ago because of its pivotal role in cyclin degradation and mitotic progression. Since then, we have learned that the APC/C is a very large, complex E3 ligase composed of 13 subunits, yielding a molecular machine of approximately 1 MDa. The intricate regulation of the APC/C is mediated by the Cdc20 family of activators, pseudosubstrate inhibitors, protein kinases and phosphatases and the spindle assembly checkpoint. The large size, complexity, and dynamic nature of the APC/C represent significant obstacles toward high-resolution structural techniques; however, over the last decade, there have been a number of lower resolution APC/C structures determined using single particle electron microscopy. These structures, when combined with data generated from numerous genetic and biochemical studies, have begun to shed light on how APC/C activity is regulated. Here, we discuss the most recent developments in the APC/C field concerning structure, substrate recognition, and catalysis.     

State of the APC/C: Organization,function, and structure

The ubiquitin-proteasome protein degradation system is involved in many essential cellular processes including cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, and the unfolded protein response. The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an evolutionarily conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase, was discovered 15 years ago because of its pivotal role in cyclin degradation and mitotic progression. Since then, we have learned that the APC/C is a very large, complex E3 ligase composed of 13 subunits, yielding a molecular machine of approximately 1 MDa. The intricate regulation of the APC/C is mediated by the Cdc20 family of activators, pseudosubstrate inhibitors, protein kinases and phosphatases and the spindle assembly checkpoint. The large size, complexity, and dynamic nature of the APC/C represent significant obstacles toward high-resolution structural techniques; however, over the last decade, there have been a number of lower resolution APC/C structures determined using single particle electron microscopy. These structures, when combined with data generated from numerous genetic and biochemical studies, have begun to shed light on how APC/C activity is regulated. Here, we discuss the most recent developments in the APC/C field concerning structure, substrate recognition, and catalysis.     

Proteolysis and the cell cycle: with this RING I do thee destroy

The ubiquitin system drives the cell division cycle by the timely destruction of numerous regulatory proteins. Remarkably, the two main activities that catalyze substrate ubiquitination in the cell cycle, the Skp1-Cdc53/cullin-F-box protein (SCF) complexes and the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), define a new superfamily of E3 ubiquitin ligases, all based on related cullin and RING-H2 finger protein subunits. The circuits that interconnect the SCF, APC/C and cyclin-dependent kinase activities form a master oscillator that coordinates the replication and segregation of the genome.     

Characterization of cullin-based E3 ubiquitin ligases in intact mammalian cells--evidence for cullin dimerization

Cullin-based E3 ligases are a large family of ubiquitin ligases with diverse cellular functions. They are composed of one of six mammalian cullin homologues, the Ring finger containing protein Roc1/Rbx1 and cullin homologue-specific adapter and substrate recognition subunits. To be active, cullin-based ligases require the covalent modification of a conserved lysine residue in the cullin protein with the ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8. To characterize this family of E3 ligases in intact cells, we generated a cell line with tetracycline-inducible expression of a dominant-negative mutant of the Nedd8-conjugating enzyme Ubc12, a reported inhibitor of cullin neddylation. Using this cell line, we demonstrate that the substrate recognition subunit Skp2 and the adaptor protein Skp1 are subject to Ubc12-dependent autoubiquitination and degradation. In contrast, cullin protein stability is not regulated by neddylation in mammalian cells. We also provide evidence that Cul1 and Cul3, as well as their associated substrate recognition subunits Skp2 and Keap1, respectively, homooligomerize in intact cells, suggesting that cullin-based ligases are dimeric. Cul3, but not Cul1 homooligomerization is dependent on substrate recognition subunit dimer formation. As shown for other E3 ubiquitin ligases, dimerization may play a role in regulating the activity of cullin-based E3 ligases.     

The F-box: a new motif for ubiquitin dependent proteolysis in cell cycle regulation and signal transduction

The ubiquitin system of intracellular protein degradation controls the abundance of many critical regulatory proteins. Specificity in the ubiquitin system is determined largely at the level of substrate recognition, a step that is mediated by E3 ubiquitin ligases. Analysis of the mechanisms of phosphorylation directed proteolysis in cell cycle regulation has uncovered a new class of E3 ubiquitin ligases called SCF complexes, which are composed of the subunits Skp1, Rbx1, Cdc53 and any one of a large number of different F-box proteins. The substrate specificity of SCF complexes is determined by the interchangeable F-box protein subunit, which recruits a specific set of substrates for ubiquitination to the core complex composed of Skp1, Rbx1, Cdc53 and the E2 enzyme Cdc34. F-box proteins have a bipartite structure--the shared F-box motif links F-box proteins to Skp1 and the core complex, whereas divergent protein-protein interaction motifs selectively bind their cognate substrates. To date all known SCF substrates are recognised in a strictly phosphorylation dependent manner, thus linking intracellular signalling networks to the ubiquitin system. The plethora of different F-box proteins in databases suggests that many pathways will be governed by SCF-dependent proteolysis. Indeed, genetic analysis has uncovered roles for F-box proteins in a variety of signalling pathways, ranging from nutrient sensing in yeast to conserved developmental pathways in plants and animals. Moreover, structural analysis has revealed ancestral relationships between SCF complexes and two other E3 ubiquitin ligases, suggesting that the combinatorial use of substrate specific adaptor proteins has evolved to allow the regulation of many cellular processes. Here, we review the known signalling pathways that are regulated by SCF complexes and highlight current issues in phosphorylation dependent protein degradation.     

泛素化和磷酸化协同作用调控蛋白质降解

在真核细胞中,泛素化和磷酸化是2种常见的蛋白质修饰方式。泛素在蛋白酶体降解途径中发挥重要的靶向作用,细胞外信号严格调控着目的蛋白的泛素化。在很多情况下,这种调控依赖于蛋白质的磷酸化。由磷酸化影响的调控步骤可能与E3泛素连接酶对底物的识别有关,也可能与实际的交联反应有关。这种调控是通过对底物或E3连接酶本身的磷酸化实现的。     

Impressionist portraits of mitotic exit: APC/C,K11-linked ubiquitin chains and Cezanne

The Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a key regulator of cell cycle progression. By triggering the degradation of mitotic cyclins, APC/C controls cell cycle-dependent oscillations in cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. Thus, the dynamic activities of both APC/C and CDK sit at the core of the cell cycle oscillator. The APC/C controls a large number of substrates and is regulated through multiple mechanisms, including cofactor-dependent activation. These cofactors, Cdc20 and Cdh1, recognize substrates, while the specific E2 enzymes UBE2C/UbcH10 and UBE2S cooperate with APC/C to build K11-linked ubiquitin chains on substrates to target them for proteasomal degradation. However, whether deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) can antagonize APC/C substrate ubiquitination during mitosis has remained largely unknown. We recently demonstrated that Cezanne/OTUD7B is a cell cycle-regulated DUB that opposes the ubiquitination of APC/C substrates. Cezanne binds APC/C substrates, reverses their ubiquitination and protects them from degradation. Accordingly, Cezanne depletion accelerates APC/C substrate degradation, leading to errors in mitotic progression and formation of micronuclei. Moreover, Cezanne is significantly amplified and overexpressed in breast cancers. This suggests a potential role for APC/C antagonism in the pathogenesis of disease. APC/C contributes to chromosome segregation fidelity in mitosis raising the possibility that copy-number and expression changes in Cezanne observed in cancer contribute to the etiology of disease. Collectively, these observations identify a new player in cell cycle progression, define mechanisms of tempered APC/C substrate destruction and highlight the importance of this regulation in maintaining chromosome stability.     

FBG1 is a promiscuous ubiquitin ligase that sequesters APC2 and causes S-phase arrest

During cell proliferation, protein degradation is strictly regulated by the cell cycle and involves two complementary ubiquitin ligase complexes, the SCF (Skp, Cullin, F-box) and APC/C (Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome) ubiquitin ligases. SCF ligases are constitutively active and generally target only proteins after they have been selected for degradation, usually by phosphorylation. In contrast, APC/C complexes are themselves activated by phosphorylation and their substrates contain a targeting signal known as degron, a consensus amino acid sequence such as a D-Box. SCF complexes degrade proteins during the G1 phase. However, as DNA synthesis begins, the SCF complexes are degraded and APC/C complexes are activated. APC-2, a protein crucial to cell division, initiates anaphase by triggering the degradation of multiple proteins. This study explores an unexpected interaction between APC-2 and SCF^FBG1. We found that FBG1 is a promiscuous ubiquitin ligase with many partners. Immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that FBG1 and APC2 interact directly. Mutagenesis-based experiments show that this interaction requires a D-Box found within the FBG1 F-box domain. Unexpectedly, we demonstrate that co-expression with FBG1 increases total APC2 levels. However, free APC2 is decreased, inhibiting cell proliferation. Finally, FACS analysis of cell populations expressing different forms of FBG1 demonstrate that this ubiquitin ligase induces S-phase arrest, illustrating the functional consequences of the interaction described. In summary, we have discovered a novel APC2 inhibitory activity of FBG1 independent from its function as ubiquitin ligase, providing the basis for future studies of FBG1 in aging and cancer.     

APC/C-Mediated Degradation in Early Mitosis: How to Avoid Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Inhibition

The APC/C is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that, by targeting substrates for proteasomal degradation, plays a major role in cell cycle control. In complex with one of two WD40 activator proteins, Cdc20 or Cdh1, the APC/C is active from early mitosis through to late G1 and during this time targets many critical regulators of the cell cycle for degradation. However, this destruction is carefully ordered to ensure that cell cycle events are executed in a timely fashion. Recent studies have begun to shed light on how the APC/C selects different substrates at different times in the cell cycle. One particular problem is how the APC/C recognizes its first set of substrates, Nek2A and cyclin A, in early mitosis when, at this time, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) inhibits most APC/C-dependent degradation. The answer may lie in how substrates are recruited to the APC/C. While checkpoint-dependent substrates appear to require Cdc20 for recruitment, experiments on the early mitotic substrate Nek2A demonstrate that it can bind the APC/C in the absence of Cdc20. The direct interaction of substrates with core subunits of the APC/C could allow their degradation to proceed unhindered even when the SAC is active.     

Mechanism of ubiquitin-chain formation by the human anaphase-promoting complex

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) orchestrates progression through mitosis by decorating cell-cycle regulators with ubiquitin chains. To nucleate chains, the APC/C links ubiquitin to a lysine in substrates, but to elongate chains it modifies lysine residues in attached ubiquitin moieties. The mechanism enabling the APC/C, and ubiquitin ligases in general, to switch from lysine residues in substrates to specific ones in ubiquitin remains poorly understood. Here, we determine the topology and the mechanism of assembly for the ubiquitin chains mediating functions of the human APC/C. We find that the APC/C triggers substrate degradation by assembling K11-linked ubiquitin chains, the efficient formation of which depends on a surface of ubiquitin, the TEK-box. Strikingly, homologous TEK-boxes are found in APC/C substrates, where they facilitate chain nucleation. We propose that recognition of similar motifs in substrates and ubiquitin enables the APC/C to assemble ubiquitin chains with the specificity and efficiency required for tight cell-cycle control.     

Substrate-specific regulation of ubiquitination by the anaphase-promoting complex

By orchestrating the sequential degradation of a large number of cell cycle regulators, the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) is essential for proliferation in all eukaryotes. The correct timing of APC/C-dependent substrate degradation, a critical feature of progression through mitosis, was long known to be controlled by mechanisms targeting the core APC/C-machinery. Recent experiments, however, have revealed an important contribution of substrate-specific regulation of the APC/C to achieve accurate cell division. In this perspective, we describe different mechanisms of substrate-specific APC/C-regulation and discuss their importance for cell division.     

Phosphorylation of Ser72 is dispensable for Skp2 assembly into an active SCF ubiquitin ligase and its subcellular localization

F-box proteins are the substrate recognition subunits of SCF (Skp1, Cul1, F-box protein) ubiquitin ligase complexes. Skp2 is a nuclear F-box protein that targets the CDK inhibitor p27 for ubiquitin- and proteasome-dependent degradation. In G0 and during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, Skp2 is degraded via the APC/CCdh1 ubiquitin ligase to allow stabilization of p27 and inhibition of CDKs, facilitating the maintenance of the G0/G1 state. APC/CCdh1 binds Skp2 through an N-terminal domain (amino acids 46-94 in human Skp2). It has been shown that phosphorylation of Ser69 and Ser72 in this domain dissociates Skp2 from APC/C. More recently, it has instead been proposed that phosphorylation of Skp2 on Ser72 by Akt/PKB allows Skp2 binding to Skp1, promoting the assembly of an active SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase, and Skp2 relocalization/retention into the cytoplasm, promoting cell migration via an unknown mechanism. According to these reports, a Skp2 mutant in which Ser72 is substituted with Ala is unable to promote cell proliferation and loses its oncogenic potential. Given the contrasting reports, we revisited these results and conclude that phosphorylation of Skp2 on Ser72 does not control Skp2 binding to Skp1 and Cul1, has no influence on SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase activity, and does not affect the subcellular localization of Skp2.     

Substrate-specific regulation of ubiquitination by the anaphase-promoting complex

By orchestrating the sequential degradation of a large number of cell cycle regulators, the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) is essential for proliferation in all eukaryotes. The correct timing of APC/C-dependent substrate degradation, a critical feature of progression through mitosis, was long known to be controlled by mechanisms targeting the core APC/C-machinery. Recent experiments, however have revealed an important contribution of substrate-specific regulation of the APC/C to achieve accurate cell division. In this perspective, we describe different mechanisms of substrate-specific APC/C-regulation and discuss their importance for cell division.Key words: ubiquitin, proteasome, anaphase-promoting complex, spindle assembly factors, degradation     

Ubiquitination site preferences in anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) substrates

Ordered progression of mitosis requires precise control in abundance of mitotic regulators. The anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase plays a key role by directing ubiquitin-mediated destruction of targets in a temporally and spatially defined manner. Specificity in APC/C targeting is conferred through recognition of substrate D-box and KEN degrons, while the specificity of ubiquitination sites, as another possible regulated dimension, has not yet been explored. Here, we present the first analysis of ubiquitination sites in the APC/C substrate ubiquitome. We show that KEN is a preferred ubiquitin acceptor in APC/C substrates and that acceptor sites are enriched in predicted disordered regions and flanked by serine residues. Our experimental data confirm a role for the KEN lysine as an ubiquitin acceptor contributing to substrate destruction during mitotic progression. Using Aurora A and Nek2 kinases as examples, we show that phosphorylation on the flanking serine residue could directly regulate ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of substrates. We propose a novel layer of regulation in substrate ubiquitination, via phosphorylation adjacent to the KEN motif, in APC/C-mediated targeting.     

Cezanne/OTUD7B is a cell cycle‐regulated deubiquitinase that antagonizes the degradation of APC/C substrates

The anaphase‐promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and key regulator of cell cycle progression. Since APC/C promotes the degradation of mitotic cyclins, it controls cell cycle‐dependent oscillations in cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) activity. Both CDKs and APC/C control a large number of substrates and are regulated by analogous mechanisms, including cofactor‐dependent activation. However, whereas substrate dephosphorylation is known to counteract CDK, it remains largely unknown whether deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) antagonize APC/C substrate ubiquitination during mitosis. Here, we demonstrate that Cezanne/OTUD7B is a cell cycle‐regulated DUB that opposes the ubiquitination of APC/C targets. Cezanne is remarkably specific for K11‐linked ubiquitin chains, which are formed by APC/C in mitosis. Accordingly, Cezanne binds established APC/C substrates and reverses their APC/C‐mediated ubiquitination. Cezanne depletion accelerates APC/C substrate degradation and causes errors in mitotic progression and formation of micronuclei. These data highlight the importance of tempered APC/C substrate destruction in maintaining chromosome stability. Furthermore, Cezanne is recurrently amplified and overexpressed in numerous malignancies, suggesting a potential role in genome maintenance and cancer cell proliferation.     

Fulfilling the metabolic requirements for cell proliferation

The activity of key metabolic enzymes is regulated by the ubiquitin ligases that control the function of the cyclins; therefore the activity of these ubiquitin ligases explains the coordination of cell-cycle progression with the supply of substrates necessary for cell duplication. APC/C (anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome)-Cdh1, the ubiquitin ligase that controls G1- to S-phase transition by targeting specific degradation motifs in cell-cycle proteins, also regulates the glycolysis-promoting enzyme PFKFB3 (6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase isoform 3) and GLS1 (glutaminase 1), a critical enzyme in glutaminolysis. A decrease in the activity of APC/C-Cdh1?in mid-to-late G1 releases both proteins, thus explaining the simultaneous increase in the utilization of glucose and glutamine during cell proliferation. This occurs at a time consistent with the point in G1 that has been described as the nutrient-sensitive restriction point and is responsible for the transition from G1 to S. PFKFB3 is also a substrate at the onset of S-phase for the ubiquitin ligase SCF (Skp1/cullin/F-box)-β-TrCP (β-transducin repeat-containing protein), so that the activity of PFKFB3 is short-lasting, coinciding with a peak in glycolysis in mid-to-late G1, whereas the activity of GLS1 remains high throughout S-phase. The differential regulation of the activity of these proteins indicates that a finely-tuned set of mechanisms is activated to fulfil specific metabolic demands at different stages of the cell cycle. These findings have implications for the understanding of cell proliferation in general and, in particular, of cancer, its prevention and treatment.