Bood POZ containing gene type 2 is a human counterpart of yeast Btb3p and promotes the degradation of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase

Bood POZ containing gene type 2 (BPOZ-2) is involved in the growth suppressive effect of the phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN). We showed that BPOZ-2 is a human counterpart of yeast Btb3p, which is a putative adaptor for Pcu3p-based ubiquitin ligase. BPOZ-2 bound to E3 ligase CUL3 in vitro and in vivo . BPOZ-2 itself was ubiquitinated through the CUL3-based E3 ligase mainly within the nucleus and degraded by the 26S proteasome. Although BPOZ-2 was mainly expressed within the cytoplasm, it accumulated within the nucleus in the presence of the specific 26S proteasome inhibitor MG132. BPOZ-2 may be recruited to the nucleus from the cytoplasm. Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) was detected as a BPOZ-2-binding protein using a yeast two-hybrid system by screening a human thymus cDNA library. TdT, BPOZ-2, and CUL3 formed a ternary complex in vivo . TdT was ubiquitinated only within the nucleus and degraded by the 26S proteasome. The ubiqutination or degradation of TdT was markedly promoted by co-expression of BPOZ-2 and CUL3 or BPOZ-2 in 293T cells, respectively.