Title: Characterization of a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase in Fanconi anemia
Description: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare recessive disorder characterized clinically by congenital defects, bone marrow failure, and cancer predisposition. Abnormalities can also be present in many other organ systems and may include radial and thumb hypoplasia, abnormal skin pigmentation (café-au-lait spots), short stature, and infertility. FA cell lines exhibit chromosomal instability and cellular sensitivity resulting from exposure to DNA interstrand crosslinkers (ICLs) such as mitomycin C (MMC) and diepoxybutane (DEB). Thirteen FA complementation groups have been identified and cloned. At least eight FA proteins (FANCA, B, C, E, F, G, L, and M) form a nuclear core complex required for mono-ubiquitination of two downstream FA proteins, FANCD2 and FANCI, respectively. Following modification, these two FA substrates co-localize to DNA damage foci, hypothesized to be DNA-repair centers, with BRCA1, BRCA2, and the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex. This dissertation addresses the structural and functional characteristics of the FA complex. The X-ray crystallographic and functional studies presented in this dissertation reveal that the C-terminal domain of FANCF is composed of a series of helical hairpins arranged in a right handed solenoid. Residues located in two of these loops are critical for the interaction of FANCF with FANCA/FANCG, a prerequisite for FANCD2 mono-ubiquitination and normal cellular tolerance to cross-linking agents like mitomycin C.

We also characterized each domain of FANCL, the putative catalytic subunit of the FA complex, through structure/function analysis. Through mutagenesis, we show that the FA complex is bound and stabilized by the WD40-repeats of FANCL, and that the PHD is dispensable for this interaction. We demonstrate that a tryptophan conserved in PHD and RING-variant E3s is required for full activity of FANCL, both in vivo and in vitro . We propose a model in which FANCL, via its WD40-repeats, binds the FA complex and, via its PHD, recruits an E2 UBC for mono-ubiquitination of FANCD2. Finally, we attempted mono-ubiquitination of FANCD2 in vitro . We used several strategies for mono-ubiquitination of FANCD2 and present a model in which the entire FA complex is required in the context of DNA replication for mono-ubiquitination of FANCD2 in vitro .