HAT cofactor TRRAP mediates beta-catenin ubiquitination on the chromatin and the regulation of the canonical Wnt pathway

Cell Cycle. 2008 Dec 15;7(24):3908-14. doi: 10.4161/cc.7.24.7354. Epub 2008 Dec 6.

Abstract

The Wnt pathway is a key regulator of embryonic development and stem cell self-renewal, and hyperactivation of the Wnt signalling is associated with many human cancers. The central player in the Wnt pathway is beta-catenin, a cytoplasmic protein whose function is tightly controlled by ubiquitination and degradation, however the precise regulation of beta-catenin stability/degradation remains elusive. Here, we report a new mechanism of beta-catenin ubiquitination acting in the context of chromatin. This mechanism is mediated by the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex component TRRAP and Skp1, an invariable component of the Skp-Cullin-F-box (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex. TRRAP interacts with Skp1/SCF and mediates its recruitment to beta-catenin target promoter in chromatin. TRRAP deletion leads to a reduced level of beta-catenin ubiquitination, lower degradation rate and accumulation of beta-catenin protein. Furthermore, recruitment of Skp1 to chromatin and ubiquitination of chromatin-bound beta-catenin are abolished upon TRRAP knock-down, leading to an abnormal retention of beta-catenin at the chromatin and concomitant hyperactivation of the canonical Wnt pathway. These results demonstrate that there is a distinct regulatory mechanism for beta-catenin ubiquitination/ destruction acting in the nucleus which functionally complements cytoplasmic destruction of beta-catenin and prevents its oncogenic stabilization and chronic activation of the canonical Wnt pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Chromatin / metabolism*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Histone Acetyltransferases / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Ubiquitination*
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism*
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Chromatin
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins
  • Wnt Proteins
  • beta Catenin
  • transformation-transcription domain-associated protein
  • Histone Acetyltransferases