Chapters authored
New Insights into the Mechanisms Underlying NEDD8 Structural and Functional Specificities
Ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) proteins are small polypeptides that are conjugated to substrates affecting their activity and stability. Cells encode “receptors” containing Ub-/Ubl-binding domains that interpret and translate each modification into appropriate cellular responses. Among the different Ubls, NEDD8, which is the ubiquitin’s closest relative, retains many of the structural determinants that enable ubiquitin the ability to target proteins to degradation. Nevertheless, the direct involvement of NEDD8 conjugation to proteasome recruitment has been proved only in a few cases. To date, well-defined major NEDD8 substrates are primarily members of the cullin family, and cullin neddylation does not appear to mark these proteins for degradation. Various studies have demonstrated that selectivity between ubiquitin and NEDD8 is guaranteed by small but substantial differences. Nevertheless, several issues still need to be addressed, mainly concerning which interaction surfaces mediate NEDD8 function and what domains recognize them. Recently, two novel domains identified in KHNYN and N4BP1 proteins have shed new light on this research area. Here, I discuss some recent reports that contributed to shed light on the mechanisms underlining the discrimination between ubiquitin and NEDD8. Understanding the details of these molecular mechanisms represents a prominent facet for the identification of new therapeutic targets.
Part of the book: Ubiquitin Proteasome System