SummaryAlthough it has been known for a long time that ubiquitylation has a major role in the activation and regulation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) pathway, recent studies have revealed that the picture is a lot more complex than originally thought. NF-B and ubiquitylation initially became linked when it was recognised that lysine (K)48-linked ubiquitin chains are involved in the processing of NF-B precursors and the degradation of inhibitor of kappa B (IB) proteins. Soon thereafter, it was reported that K63-linked chains were involved in the assembly of IB kinase (IKK)-activating complexes and required for activation of the NF-B signalling pathway. Recently, the discovery that atypical ubiquitin linkages, including linear and K11 linkages, are also involved in the activation of NF-B has led to the need to re-evaluate existing models of how activation of this transcription factor is initiated and regulated. It is now becoming apparent that not only the canonical types of ubiquitin chains but possibly all linkage types have to be investigated in order to fully comprehend NF-B activation. This can be considered a turning point in our view of the regulation of one of the most important pathways of gene induction. Hence, in this Commentary, we summarise the information that is currently available and incorporate it into a new model of NF-B activation, thereby highlighting the emerging new challenges in understanding the role of ubiquitylation in NF-B activation.This article is part of a Minifocus on Ubiquitin. For further reading, please see related articles: ʻUbiquitin and SUMO in DNA repair at a glanceʼ by Helle D. Ulrich (J. Cell Sci. 125,(249)(250)(251)(252)(253)(254). ʻEmerging regulatory mechanisms in ubiquitin-dependent cell cycle controlʼ by Annamaria Mocciaro and Michael Rape (J. Cell Sci. 125, [255][256][257][258][259][260][261][262][263]. ʻThe role of ubiquitylation in receptor endocytosis and endosomal sortingʼ by Kaisa Haglund and Ivan Dikic (J. Cell Sci. 125,(265)(266)(267)(268)(269)(270)(271)(272)(273)(274)(275). ʻCellular functions of the DUBsʼ by Michael J. Clague et al. (J. Cell Sci. 125,[277][278][279][280][281][282][283][284][285][286]. ʻHECT and RING finger families of E3 ubiquitin ligases at a glanceʼ by Meredith B. Metzger et al. (J. Cell Sci. 125,(531)(532)(533)(534)(535)(536)(537). ʻNon-canonical ubiquitin-based signals for proteasomal degradationʼ by Yelena Kravtsova-Ivantsiv and Aaron Ciechanover (J. Cell Sci. 125, 539-548).
Key words: NF-kappaB, Atypical linkage types, UbiquitinJournal of Cell Science atypical ubiquitin chains, such as linear and K11-linked chains (Dynek et al., 2010;Gerlach et al., 2011;Haas et al., 2009;Ikeda et al., 2011;Tokunaga et al., 2011;Tokunaga et al., 2009;Emmerich et al., 2011). In this Commentary, we discuss the effects of both the well-established, as well as these more recently discovered, ubiquitin chains on NF-B activation.The NF-B family of transcription factors The term NF-B refers not to a single protein but to a family of dimer...