Cooperative inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein signaling by Smurf1 and inhibitory Smads

Mol Biol Cell. 2003 Jul;14(7):2809-17. doi: 10.1091/mbc.e02-07-0441. Epub 2003 Apr 4.

Abstract

Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor (Smurf) 1 binds to receptor-regulated Smads for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) Smad1/5 and promotes their degradation. In addition, Smurf1 associates with transforming growth factor-beta type I receptor through the inhibitory Smad (I-Smad) Smad7 and induces their degradation. Herein, we examined whether Smurf1 negatively regulates BMP signaling together with the I-Smads Smad6/7. Smurf1 and Smad6 cooperatively induced secondary axes in Xenopus embryos. Using a BMP-responsive promoter-reporter construct in mammalian cells, we found that Smurf1 cooperated with I-Smad in inhibiting BMP signaling and that the inhibitory activity of Smurf1 was not necessarily correlated with its ability to bind to Smad1/5 directly. Smurf1 bound to BMP type I receptors via I-Smads and induced ubiquitination and degradation of these receptors. Moreover, Smurf1 associated with Smad1/5 indirectly through I-Smads and induced their ubiquitination and degradation. Smurf1 thus controls BMP signaling with and without I-Smads through multiple mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Activin Receptors, Type I / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / metabolism*
  • COS Cells
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • Models, Molecular
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Signal Transduction
  • Smad6 Protein
  • Smad7 Protein
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism*
  • Xenopus
  • Xenopus Proteins

Substances

  • Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Smad6 Protein
  • Smad6 protein, Xenopus
  • Smad7 Protein
  • Smad7 protein, Xenopus
  • Trans-Activators
  • Xenopus Proteins
  • SMURF1 protein, Xenopus
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Activin Receptors, Type I
  • Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I