The SCF ubiquitin ligases involved in hematopoietic lineage.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is involved in various cellular functions by regulating protein degradation. It has been shown previously that the SCF-type ubiquitin (E3) ligases are involved in cell cycle control. Here we review E3 ligases playing the crucial roles in the determination of cell fate during hematopoiesis. SCFSkp2 controls the degradation of CDK inhibitors, such as p21, p27 and p57, to regulate hematopoietic stem cell lineage. SCFFbw7 targets several important proteins involved in hematopoiesis such as c-Myc, Notch and c-Myb. By controlling the precise levels of these proteins, E3 ligases are required for accurately determining hematopoietic lineage.