The Fbw7 tumor suppressor regulates glycogen synthase kinase 3 phosphorylation-dependent c-Myc protein degradation

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jun 15;101(24):9085-90. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0402770101. Epub 2004 May 18.

Abstract

Myc proteins regulate cell growth and division and are implicated in a wide range of human cancers. We show here that Fbw7, a component of the SCF(Fbw7) ubiquitin ligase and a tumor suppressor, promotes proteasome-dependent c-Myc turnover in vivo and c-Myc ubiquitination in vitro. Phosphorylation of c-Myc on threonine-58 (T58) by glycogen synthase kinase 3 regulates the binding of Fbw7 to c-Myc as well as Fbw7-mediated c-Myc degradation and ubiquitination. T58 is the most frequent site of c-myc mutations in lymphoma cells, and our findings suggest that c-Myc activation is one of the key oncogenic consequences of Fbw7 loss in cancer. Because Fbw7 mediates the degradation of cyclin E, Notch, and c-Jun, as well as c-Myc, the loss of Fbw7 is likely to elicit profound effects on cell proliferation during tumorigenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • F-Box Proteins / genetics
  • F-Box Proteins / metabolism*
  • F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / metabolism*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Transduction, Genetic
  • Transfection
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • F-Box Proteins
  • F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7
  • FBXW7 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • Ubiquitin
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3