Multivalent Interactions with Fbw7 and Pin1 Facilitate Recognition of c-Jun by the SCF^Fbw7 Ubiquitin Ligase

Many regulatory proteins, including the transcription factor c-Jun, are highly enriched in disordered protein regions that govern growth, division, survival, differentiation, and response to signals. The stability of c-Jun is controlled by poorly understood regulatory interactions of its disordered region with both the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF^Fbw7 and prolyl cis-trans isomerase Pin1. We use nuclear magnetic resonance and fluorescence studies of c-Jun to demonstrate that multisite c-Jun phosphorylation is required for high-affinity interaction with Fbw7. We show that the Pin1 WW and PPIase domains interact in a dynamic complex with multiply phosphorylated c-Jun. Importantly, Pin1 isomerizes a pSer-Pro peptide bond at the c-Jun N terminus that affects binding to Fbw7 and thus modulates the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of c-Jun. Our findings support the general principle that multiple weak binding motifs within disordered regions can synergize to yield high-affinity interactions and provide rapidly evolvable means to build and fine-tune regulatory events.