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  • The EMBO Journal (2006) 25, 554 - 564
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600945

Published online: 19 January 2006

A novel ubiquitin-binding protein ZNF216 functioning in muscle atrophy

Akinori Hishiya1,2, Shun-ichiro Iemura3, Tohru Natsume3, Shinichi Takayama2, Kyoji Ikeda1 and Ken Watanabe1

  1. Department of Bone & Joint Disease, National Center for Geriatrics & Gerontology (NCGG), Obu, Aichi, Japan
  2. Program of Molecular Chaperone Biology, Department of Radiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA
  3. Japan Biological Information Research Center (JBIRC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence to:

Ken Watanabe, Department of Bone & Joint Disease, National Center for Geriatrics & Gerontology (NCGG), Obu, Aichi 474-8522, Japan. Tel.: +81 562 46 2311; Fax: +81 562 44 6595; E-mail: kwatanab@nils.go.jp

Received 6 June 2005; Accepted 14 December 2005

The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is critical for specific degradation of cellular proteins and plays a pivotal role on protein breakdown in muscle atrophy. Here, we show that ZNF216 directly binds polyubiquitin chains through its N-terminal A20-type zinc-finger domain and associates with the 26S proteasome. ZNF216 was colocalized with the aggresome, which contains ubiquitinylated proteins and other UPS components. Expression of Znf216 was increased in both denervation- and fasting-induced muscle atrophy and upregulated by expression of constitutively active FOXO, a master regulator of muscle atrophy. Mice deficient in Znf216 exhibited resistance to denervation-induced atrophy, and ubiquitinylated proteins markedly accumulated in neurectomized muscle compared to wild-type mice. These data suggest that ZNF216 functions in protein degradation via the UPS and plays a crucial role in muscle atrophy.

  • Keywords:

    • aggresome,
    • muscular atrophy,
    • proteasome,
    • ubiquitin,
    • zinc-finger protein