A potent small-molecule inhibitor of the DCN1-UBC12 interaction that selectively blocks cullin 3 neddylation

  • Haibin Zhou
  • , Jianfeng Lu
  • , Liu Liu
  • , Denzil Bernard
  • , Chao Yie Yang
  • , Ester Fernandez-Salas
  • , Krishnapriya Chinnaswamy
  • , Stephanie Layton
  • , Jeanne Stuckey
  • , Qing Yu
  • , Weihua Zhou
  • , Zhenqiang Pan
  • , Yi Sun
  • , Shaomeng Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

83 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) regulate homeostasis of ~20% of cellular proteins and their activation require neddylation of their cullin subunit. Cullin neddylation is modulated by a scaffolding DCN protein through interactions with both the cullin protein and an E2 enzyme such as UBC12. Here we report the development of DI-591 as a high-affinity, cell-permeable small-molecule inhibitor of the DCN1-UBC12 interaction. DI-591 binds to purified recombinant human DCN1 and DCN2 proteins with K i values of 10-12 nM, and disrupts the DCN1-UBC12 interaction in cells. Treatment with DI-591 selectively converts cellular cullin 3 into an un-neddylated inactive form with no or minimum effect on other cullin members. Our data firmly establish a previously unrecognized specific role of the DCN1-UBC12 interaction for cellular neddylation of cullin 3. DI-591 is an excellent probe compound to investigate the role of the cullin 3 CRL ligase in biological processes and human diseases.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1150
JournalNature Communications
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2017

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