Mammalian mediator subunit mMED8 is an Elongin BC-interacting protein that can assemble with Cul2 and Rbx1 to reconstitute a ubiquitin ligase

Christopher S. Brower, Shigeo Sato, Chieri Tomomori-Sato, Takumi Kamura, Arnim Pause, Robert Stearman, Richard D. Klausner, Sohail Malik, William S. Lane, Irina Sorokina, Robert G. Roeder, Joan Weliky Conaway, Ronald C. Conaway

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Scopus citations

Abstract

The heterodimeric Elongin BC complex has been shown to interact in vitro and in cells with a conserved BC-box motif found in an increasing number of proteins including RNA polymerase II elongation factor Elongin A, suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)box proteins, and the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein. Recently, the Elongin BC complex was found to function as an adaptor that links these BC-box proteins to a module composed of Cullin family members Cul2 or Cul5 and RING-H2 finger protein Rbxl to reconstitute a family of E3 ubiquitin ligases that activate ubiquitylation by the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc5. As part of our effort to understand the functions of Elongin BC-based ubiquitin ligases, we exploited a modified yeast two-hybrid screen to identify a mammalian BC-box protein similar in sequence to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mediator subunit Med8p. In this report we demonstrate (i) that mammalian MED8 is a subunit of the mammalian Mediator complex and (ii) that MED8 can assemble with Elongins B and C, Cul2, and Rbxl to reconstitute a ubiquitin ligase. Taken together, our findings are consistent with the model that MED8 could function to recruit ubiquitin ligase activity directly to the RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)10353-10358
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume99
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2002
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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