Mechanisms of tumor suppression by the SCFFbw7

SCF ubiquitin ligases regulate the degradation of many proteins involved in the control of cell division and growth. F-box proteins are the SCF components that bind to substrates, and this binding is usually signaled by substrate phosphorylation. The Fbw7/hCdc4 F-box protein was first recognized by its ability to bind cyclin E, and the SCFFbw7 is now known to target c-Myc, c-Jun and Notch for degradation in addition to its role in cyclin E proteolysis. Fbw7 thus negatively regulates several key oncoproteins. Accordingly, Fbw7 is a tumor suppressor that is mutated in a wide spectrum of human cancers, and Fbw7 functions as a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor in mice. Because there are three Fbw7 isoforms that reside in different subcellular compartments, as well as multiple Fbw7 substrates that are the products of proto-oncogenes, the mechanisms of tumor suppression by Fbw7 are complex and incompletely understood. In this review we discuss the activities of the SCFFbw7 in the context of its role as a tumor suppressor and highlight recent findings demonstrating that dominant oncogenes disable Fbw7 function.