SUMO-conjugating enzyme UBC9 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the UBE2I gene. [5] It is also sometimes referred to as "ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2I" or "ubiquitin carrier protein 9", even though these names do not accurately describe its function.
Four alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene. [6]
The UBC9 protein encoded by the UBE2I gene constitutes a core machinery in the cell's sumoylation pathway. Sumoylation is a process in which a Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO) is covalently attached to other proteins in order to modify their behaviour. For example, sumoylation may affect a protein's localization in the cell, its ability to interact with other proteins or DNA.
UBC9 performs the third step in the sumoylation life cycle: the conjugation step. When SUMO protein precursors are first expressed, they first undergo a maturation step in which the four C-terminal amino acids are removed, revealing a di-glycine motif. In a second step, an E1 activating complex binds to SUMO at its di-glycine and passes it on to the E2 protein Ubc9, where it forms a thioester bond with a cysteine residue within Ubc9's catalytic pocket. The loaded Ubc9 is now ready to perform the sumoylation of its various target proteins (also called substrates). It recognizes a particular motif of amino acid residues in these substrates: A large hydrophobic residue, followed by a lysine, followed by a spacer, followed by an acidic residue. This motif is usually described in shorthand as ΨKxD/E. The central lysine within the substrate's recognition motif is inserted into the catalytic pocket. There the carboxyl terminus of SUMO's di-glycine forms a peptide bond with the ε-amino group of the lysine. This process can be assisted by an E3 ligase protein.
The sumoylation process is reversible. SENP proteases can remove SUMO from sumoylated proteins, freeing it to be used in further sumoylation reactions.
The protein UBC9 encoded by the UBE2I gene has been shown to be targeted by multiple viruses, including HIV and HPV. It has been hypothesized that these viruses hijack UBC9 to serve their own purposes. [7]
UBE2I has been shown to interact with:
Ubiquitin-protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) also known as E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E6AP) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the UBE3A gene. This enzyme is involved in targeting proteins for degradation within cells.
E3 SUMO-protein ligase PIAS1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PIAS1 gene.
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Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 L3 (UBE2L3), also called UBCH7, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2L3 gene. As an E2 enzyme, UBE2L3 participates in ubiquitination to target proteins for degradation. The role of UBE2L3 in the ubiquitination of the NF-κB precursor implicated it in various major autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), celiac disease, Crohn's disease (CD), and systemic lupus erythematosus.
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Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 C is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2C gene.
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 G1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2G1 gene.
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2E1 gene.
Protein ariadne-1 homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ARIH1 gene.
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 J1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2J1 gene.
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2E2 gene.
NEDD8-conjugating enzyme Ubc12 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UBE2M gene.
Ubiquitin-like 1-activating enzyme E1B (UBLE1B) also known as SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 2 (SAE2) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the UBA2 gene.