DCAF12
Description
The DCAF12 (DDB1 and CUL4 associated factor 12) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 9.
DCAF12 is a substrate-recognition component of the DDB1-CUL4-X-box (DCX) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, specifically within the DesCEND (destruction via C-end degrons) pathway. This complex recognizes and targets proteins for ubiquitination and degradation by identifying a specific C-degron motif located at the extreme C-terminus of the target protein. These C-degrons are typically short motifs, often less than ten residues in length, and can be present in various forms of the target protein, including full-length, truncated, or proteolytically cleaved. DCAF12 specifically recognizes proteins with a diglutamate (Glu-Glu) at their C-terminus, such as MAGEA3, MAGEA6, and CCT5. This recognition leads to their ubiquitination and degradation, which plays a crucial role in starvation-induced autophagy for MAGEA3 and MAGEA6. Additionally, DCAF12 can recognize an alternative degron, a glutamate-leucine (Glu-Leu) motif, present in proteins like MOV10. This recognition also triggers ubiquitination and degradation, influencing the protein levels of MOV10 during spermatogenesis and in T cells, particularly after their activation.
DCAF12 is also known as CT102, KIAA1892, TCC52, WDR40A.