S. pombe expresses 16 different Fbox proteins, some of which are regulated by the COP9 signalosome (CSN). The study shows that these proteins attach to CRL1 but are kicked off by the competing protein CAND1. Fbox proteins and CAND1 continue to trade places until they come in contact with the appropriate substrate of the protein being degraded. This phosphorylated substrate recruits the protein N8, which attaches to the complex and stabilizes the Fbox protein. Then the complex can attach to the substrate and recruit ubiquitin. Once this process is completed, N8 is removed, Fbox is destabilised and the process begins again.
“The tension between CAND1 and Fbox gives more Fbox proteins the opportunity to attach to CRL1,” says Dr. Wolf. “Without CAND1, more prevalent Fbox proteins would dominate the process. We also found that, to bind to CRL1, the Fbox proteins must contain a specific proline residue. Only when the substrate is present can the Fbox protein be stabilised in the complex.”
The laboratory tested eight of the 16 Fbox proteins. They found that five of the eight were regulated by the CSN and that CSN-insensitive proteins were missing a proline residue. They also found that the proline residue was required for CRL1 complex formation. The laboratory also determined that CAND1 deficiency and CSN deficiency produced different phenotypes, outlining the different roles they play in stabilizing CRL1.