Anti-CUL5 (aa 1-100) polyclonal antibody

VACM-1/CUL5 is a member of the cullin family of proteins involved in the E3 ligase-dependent degradation of diverse proteins that regulate cellular proliferation. The ability of VACM-1/CUL5 to inhibit cellular growth is affected by its posttranslational modifications and its localization to the nucleus. Since the mechanism of VACM-1/CUL5 translocation to the nucleus is not clear, the goal of this project was to determine the role that the putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) we identified in the VACM-1/CUL5 ((640)PKLKRQ(646)) plays in the cellular localization of VACM-1/CUL5 and its effect on cellular growth. We used site-directed mutagenesis to change Lys642 and Lys644 to Gly and the mutated cDNA constructs were transfected into COS-1 cells. Mutation of the NLS in VACM-1/CUL5 significantly reduced its localization to the nucleus and compromised its effect on cellular growth. We have shown previously that the antiproliferative effect of VACM-1/CUL5 could be reversed by mutation of PKA-specific phosphorylation sequence ((S730A)VACM-1/CUL5), which was associated with its increased nuclear localization and modification by NEDD8. Thus, we examined whether these properties can be controlled by the NLS. The mutation of NLS in (S730A)VACM-1/CUL5 cDNA compromised its proliferative effect and reduced its localization to the nucleus. The immunocytochemistry results showed that, in cells transfected with the mutant cDNAs, the nuclear NEDD8 signal was decreased. Western blot analysis of total cell lysates, however, showed that VACM-1/CUL5 neddylation was not affected. Together, these results suggest that the presence of the NLS, both in VACM-1/CUL5 and in (S730A)VACM-1/CUL5 sequences, is critical for their control of cell proliferation.

Rbx1 and Rbx2 are essential components of Cullin-RING E3 Ligases. Vif is generally believed to preferentially recruit the Cul5-Rbx2 module to induce proteasomal degradation of antiretroviral enzyme APOBEC3G, although some investigators have found that the Cul5-Rbx1 module is recruited. Here, to investigate the function of the two Rbx proteins in the Vif-Cul5 complex, we analyzed the performance of Cul5-Rbx1/Cul5-Rbx2 module in the activity of Vif E3 ligase and evaluated the interactions between Rbx1/Rbx2 and Cul5. We found that either Rbx1 or Rbx2 could promote ubiquitination of APOBE3G (A3G) in vitro. We also found that both Rbx1 and Rbx2 could bind Cul5 in cells and Rbx2 could dose-dependently inhibit the interaction of Rbx1 with Cul5. Furthermore, only the decrease of endogenous Rbx2 but not Rbx1 could impair the Vif-induced A3G degradation in cells. These findings indicate that Rbx1 and Rbx2 can both activate Cul5-Vif E3 ligase in vitro, but they may undergo a more delicate selection mechanism in vivo. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.