| 2005 |
Crystal structure of the complex between the C-terminal domain of NEDD8's E1 (APPBP1-UBA3) and the catalytic core domain of Ubc12 (UBE2M) reveals molecular details of Ubc12 recruitment by NEDD8's E1. The E1's Ubc12-binding domain resembles ubiquitin and recruits Ubc12 in a manner mimicking ubiquitin's interactions with ubiquitin-binding domains. Structural comparison with E2-E3 complexes indicates that the E1 and E3 binding sites on Ubc12 may overlap. |
X-ray crystallography of E1-E2 complex combined with mutational analysis |
Molecular cell |
High |
15694336
|
| 2000 |
UBC12 (UBE2M) is the E2 conjugating enzyme for NEDD8. The catalytic cysteine C111 is essential for NEDD8 transfer; the C111S point mutant forms a stable heterodimeric conjugate with NEDD8 (resistant to 6M guanidine HCl, urea, SDS, and β-mercaptoethanol), sequesters NEDD8, and acts as a dominant-negative inhibitor of NEDD8 conjugation to cullins (Cul-1, Cul-2) and other substrates. Overexpression of the dominant-negative mutant inhibits growth of U2OS and HEK293 cells. |
Active-site mutagenesis (C111S), dominant-negative overexpression, in vivo NEDD8 conjugation assays, cell growth assay |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
10828074
|
| 2018 |
UBE2M functions as a dual E2 enzyme: under physiological conditions it acts as a neddylation E2 to activate CUL3-Keap1 E3; under stress conditions (induced by HIF-1 and AP1 transactivation) it switches to a ubiquitylation E2 that, together with Parkin-DJ-1 E3, mediates targeted ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of the other neddylation E2, UBE2F. UBE2M-induced UBE2F degradation inactivates CRL5 and causes NOXA accumulation, suppressing lung cancer cell growth. |
Co-IP, siRNA knockdown, overexpression, ubiquitylation and neddylation assays, mass spectrometry, cell viability assays |
Molecular cell |
High |
29932898
|
| 2017 |
The DCN1-UBC12 protein-protein interaction is required for cellular neddylation of cullin 3 specifically; small-molecule inhibitor DI-591 (Ki ~10–12 nM for DCN1/DCN2) disrupts this interaction and selectively converts cullin 3 to an un-neddylated inactive form with minimal effect on other cullins, establishing a specific role of the DCN1-UBC12 interaction in CUL3 neddylation. |
Biochemical binding assays (Ki determination), cell-based co-immunoprecipitation, western blotting for cullin neddylation, small-molecule inhibitor DI-591 |
Nature communications |
High |
29074978
|
| 2018 |
A UBC12 N-terminal peptide (12 residues) mediates high-affinity binding to the co-E3 DCN1; peptidomimetic inhibitors based on this peptide bind DCN1 with KD < 10 nM. Co-crystal structure of a potent peptidomimetic with DCN1 provides the structural basis for the DCN1-UBC12 interaction interface. Cellular inhibition selectively blocks cullin 3 neddylation. |
Co-crystal structure determination, surface plasmon resonance/ITC binding assays, cellular neddylation assays |
Journal of medicinal chemistry |
High |
29438612
|
| 2014 |
UBE2M is required for DNA damage repair and genome integrity. UBE2M knockdown increases DNA breaks, sensitizes cells to DNA damaging agents, and impairs RAD51 foci formation (homologous recombination). The downstream mechanism involves activation of Cullin 1, 2, and 4 ligases; specifically, loss of CUL2 neddylation blocks G1-to-S progression and delays S-phase DNA damage response, while loss of CUL4 neddylation causes elevated DNA breakages. Key CRL substrates CDT1, p21, and Claspin accumulate upon UBE2M knockdown and contribute to the elevated DNA damage phenotype. |
siRNA knockdown, RAD51 foci formation assay, cell-based DNA repair assays, flow cytometry (cell cycle), immunofluorescence |
PloS one |
Medium |
25025768
|
| 2023 |
UBE2M mediates neddylation of E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 at K129/134. This neddylation promotes TRIM21-dependent recruitment and ubiquitination-mediated degradation of the E3 ligase VHL. VHL loss stabilizes HIF-1α, increasing IL-1β production in macrophages, driving obesity-related inflammation. |
Macrophage-specific UBE2M knockout mice, co-IP, neddylation site mutagenesis (K129/134), western blotting, cytokine measurement, metabolic phenotyping |
Cell metabolism |
High |
37343564
|
| 2023 |
UBE2M inhibits RIG-I degradation in macrophages by preventing the interaction of RIG-I with the E3 ligase STUB1, thereby sustaining antiviral IFN-I signaling. Conversely, IFN-I-activated STAT1 transcriptionally upregulates TRIM21, which promotes UBE2M degradation, forming a negative feedback loop. TRIM21 acts as an E3 to degrade UBE2M. |
UBE2M-deficient macrophages, RNA-virus infection models, Co-IP, siRNA knockdown, reporter and protein stability assays |
Cell reports |
Medium |
36662617
|
| 2022 |
Treg cell-specific deletion of Ube2m (neddylation E2) in mice causes disrupted Treg cell homeostasis and suppressive functions with an inflammatory disorder phenotype, demonstrating that the Ube2m-Rbx1 neddylation axis is specifically required for intrinsic regulatory processes in Treg cells. The phenotype is similar to but less severe than Rbx1 deletion, suggesting Rbx1 also has Ube2m-independent roles. |
Conditional knockout mice (Treg-specific Ube2m deletion), flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, inflammatory disease assessment |
Nature communications |
High |
35641500
|
| 2019 |
UBC12/UBE2M knockdown in lung cancer cells inhibits cullin neddylation, inactivates CRL E3 ligases, and causes accumulation of tumor-suppressive CRL substrates p21, p27, and Wee1, triggering G2-phase cell-cycle arrest and suppressing malignant phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. UBC12 knockdown also inhibits growth of MLN4924-resistant lung cancer cells. |
siRNA knockdown, quantitative proteomics, flow cytometry (cell cycle), western blotting, xenograft mouse model |
EBioMedicine |
Medium |
31208947
|
| 2011 |
UBE2M mediates gemcitabine-induced degradation of p27(Kip1) protein in human urothelial carcinoma cells. Gemcitabine induces UBE2M expression via a PI3K-dependent pathway; silencing UBE2M with siRNA restores p27(Kip1) levels and reduces gemcitabine sensitivity, establishing UBE2M as a mediator of drug cytotoxicity through p27(Kip1) degradation. |
2D gel electrophoresis, siRNA knockdown, proteasome inhibitor (MG132), PI3K inhibitor (LY294002), western blotting, cell sensitivity assays |
Biochemical pharmacology |
Medium |
21477582
|
| 2021 |
UBE2M physically binds to MDM2 and to ribosomal protein L11 (but not directly to p53) in HCC cells, as shown by co-IP and immunofluorescence colocalization. UBE2M depletion activates p53 expression and stability; conversely, ectopic UBE2M enhances MDM2-mediated degradation of exogenous p53. L11 is required for p53 activation upon UBE2M depletion. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence colocalization, overexpression/knockdown, western blotting, xenograft mouse model |
Cancers |
Medium |
34638383
|
| 2021 |
NPRL2 physically interacts with UBE2M (validated by Co-IP and immunofluorescence), and this interaction increases NPRL2 protein stability by reducing its polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. NPRL2 cooperatively enhances UBE2M-mediated neddylation and CRL substrate degradation. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, ubiquitination assays, siRNA knockdown, in vivo xenograft |
Experimental cell research |
Medium |
33905671
|
| 2025 |
PINK1 interacts with UBC12 (UBE2M) in the primate brain; knockdown of PINK1 in monkeys (but not in PINK1-knockout mice or pigs) markedly reduces UBC12 protein abundance and global neddylation levels, revealing a primate-specific PINK1-UBC12 axis regulating protein neddylation. |
Mass spectrometry proteomics, PINK1 knockdown in monkeys, colocalization imaging, western blotting for neddylation |
Zoological research |
Medium |
41298302
|
| 2025 |
UBE2M neddylates MKK7 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7) as a direct substrate. Neddylation of MKK7 inhibits its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, stabilizing MKK7 and enhancing its phosphorylation. Stabilized MKK7 activates JNK signaling, induces EGR1, and suppresses CCND2 expression to restrain melanoma cell proliferation. |
Co-IP, proximity ligation assay, cycloheximide chase assay, transcriptomic analysis, in vitro and in vivo functional assays |
Journal of translational medicine |
Medium |
41361309
|
| 2025 |
PRMT1 methylates UBE2M at arginine R169, enhancing its protein function. This UBE2M post-translational modification increases neddylation and protein stability of NEDD4, which in turn ubiquitinates PPARγ for degradation, inhibiting fatty acid metabolism in renal tubular cells during calcium oxalate crystal-induced injury. |
Conditional PRMT1 knockout/overexpression mice, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, GST-pulldown, site-specific mutagenesis (R169), single-cell RNA-seq, metabolomics |
Cell death & disease |
Medium |
40744915
|
| 2026 |
NAE1/UBA3 and UBE2M serve as the E1 and E2 enzymes, respectively, for URM1 (ubiquitin-related modifier 1) protein modification (urmylation) in human cells under normal and oxidative stress conditions. Pharmacological inhibition of the UBE2M-DCN1 module suggests DCN1 may contribute to URM1 conjugation. |
Activity-based URM1 probe to covalently capture cysteine enzymes, proteomic characterization, cell-based validation, pharmacological inhibition (pevonedistat) |
Nature communications |
Medium |
42056084
|
| 2026 |
UBE2M neddylates NAA10 (N-alpha-acetyltransferase 10) as a direct substrate at lysine K148, with RBX1-CUL4A acting as the critical E3 ligase for this modification. UBE2M-mediated neddylation of NAA10 enhances its protein stability and functional activity, promoting prostate cancer cell proliferation. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, proximity ligation assay, neddylation site mutagenesis (K148), in vitro and in vivo functional assays |
Journal of translational medicine |
Medium |
41857595
|
| 2026 |
UBE2M directly neddylates VEGFR2 in pulmonary endothelial cells, stabilizing the receptor. UBE2M deficiency in mice reduces VEGFR2 protein levels and phosphorylation, causing premature pulmonary vascular aging and structural disruption, while UBE2M reconstitution alleviates cellular senescence in a doxorubicin-induced model. |
Ube2m conditional knockout mice, neddylation assay, western blotting, immunofluorescence, doxorubicin senescence model, in vivo emphysema model |
Cell death & disease |
Medium |
42209461
|
| 2026 |
UBE2M neddylates USP39, which in turn modulates deubiquitination of PABPC1, enhancing translation efficiency of CCNB1 and promoting G2/M cell cycle progression in colorectal cancer cells. |
Co-IP, in vivo and in vitro functional experiments, single-cell and bulk transcriptomics, protein stability assays |
Experimental & molecular medicine |
Medium |
41680469
|
| 2026 |
UBE2M neddylates EGFR in keratinocytes, stabilizing and activating EGFR signaling. UBE2M is upregulated in psoriatic lesions and promotes keratinocyte proliferation and inflammatory responses through EGFR neddylation; genetic and pharmacological inhibition of UBE2M suppresses psoriasis-like development. |
Immunofluorescence in human and murine psoriasis lesions, UBE2M knockdown/overexpression, neddylation assays, IMQ-induced murine psoriasis model |
iScience |
Medium |
42111190
|
| 2026 |
Orlistat directly binds UBC12 (UBE2M) with a KD of 678 nM (ITC assay), inhibits UBC12's NEDD8-conjugating activity, and blocks UBC12's interaction with DCN1, selectively suppressing cullin 1 neddylation. UBC12 overexpression positively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and UBC12 depletion abrogates Orlistat's inhibition of Wnt signaling. |
Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), neddylation activity assays, co-immunoprecipitation, western blotting, overexpression/knockdown |
Pharmacological research |
Medium |
42067003
|
| 2024 |
UBE2M maintains ERα expression by inhibiting its ubiquitination and degradation through a UBE2M-CUL3/4A-E6AP-ERα axis in ER-positive breast cancer. ERα in turn enhances HIF-1α-mediated transcription of UBE2M, forming a positive feedback loop. Silencing UBE2M suppresses growth and sensitizes cells to fulvestrant in vitro and in vivo. |
siRNA knockdown, overexpression, ubiquitination assays, co-IP, western blotting, xenograft mouse model |
Cell death & disease |
Medium |
39138151
|