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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the largest family of cell surface receptors, regulate a wide range of physiological processes, and are the major targets of pharmaceutical drugs. Canonical signaling from GPCRs is relayed to intracellular effector proteins by trimeric G proteins, composed of α, β, and γ subunits (Gαβγ). Here, we report that G protein β subunits (Gβ) bind to DDB1 and that Gβ2 targets GRK2 for ubiquitylation by the DDB1-CUL4A-ROC1 ubiquitin ligase. Activation of GPCR results in PKA-mediated phosphorylation of DDB1 at Ser645 and its dissociation from Gβ2, leading to increase of GRK2 protein. Deletion of Cul4a results in cardiac hypertrophy in male mice that can be partially rescued by the deletion of one Grk2 allele. These results reveal a non-canonical function of the Gβ protein as a ubiquitin ligase component and a mechanism of feedback regulation of GPCR signaling.

The xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group E (XP-E) gene product damaged-DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2) plays important roles in nucleotide excision repair (NER). Previously, we showed that DDB2 participates in NER by regulating the level of p21Waf1/Cip1. Here we show that the p21Waf1/Cip1-regulatory function of DDB2 plays a central role in defining the response (apoptosis or arrest) to DNA damage. The DDB2-deficient cells are resistant to apoptosis in response to a variety of DNA-damaging agents, despite activation of p53 and the pro-apoptotic genes. Instead, these cells undergo cell cycle arrest. Also, the DDB2-deficient cells are resistant to E2F1-induced apoptosis. The resistance to apoptosis of the DDB2-deficient cells is caused by an increased accumulation of p21Waf1/Cip1 after DNA damage. We provide evidence that DDB2 targets p21Waf1/Cip1 for proteolysis. The resistance to apoptosis in DDB2-deficient cells also involves Mdm2 in a manner that is distinct from the p53-regulatory activity of Mdm2. Our results provide evidence for a new regulatory loop involving the NER protein DDB2, Mdm2, and p21Waf1/Cip1 that is critical in deciding cell fate (apoptosis or arrest) upon DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DDB1, a subunit of the damaged-DNA binding protein DDB, has been shown to function also as an adaptor for Cul4A, a member of the cullin family of E3 ubiquitin ligase. The Cul4A-DDB1 complex remains associated with the COP9 signalosome, and that interaction is conserved from fission yeast to human. Studies with fission yeast suggested a role of the Pcu4-Ddb1-signalosome complex in the proteolysis of the replication inhibitor Spd1. Here we provide evidence that the function of replication inhibitor proteolysis is conserved in the mammalian DDB1-Cul4A-signalosome complex. We show that small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of DDB1, CSN1 (a subunit of the signalosome), and Cul4A in mammalian cells causes an accumulation of p27Kip1. Moreover, expression of DDB1 reduces the level of p27Kip1 by increasing its decay rate. The DDB1-induced proteolysis of p27Kip1 requires signalosome and Cul4A, because DDB1 failed to increase the decay rate of p27Kip1 in cells deficient in CSN1 or Cul4A. Surprisingly, the DDB1-induced proteolysis of p27Kip1 also involves Skp2, an F-box protein that allows targeting of p27Kip1 for ubiquitination by the Skp1-Cul1-F-box complex. Moreover, we provide evidence for a physical association between Cul4A, DDB1, and Skp2. We speculate that the F-box protein Skp2, in addition to utilizing Cul1-Skp1, utilizes Cul4A-DDB1 to induce proteolysis of p27Kip1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]