Regulation of PTEN degradation and NEDD4–1 E3 ligase activity by Numb

The critical tumor suppressor PTEN is regulated by numerous post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination. Ubiquitination of PTEN was reported to control both PTEN stability and nuclear localization. Notably, the HECT E3-ligase NEDD4–1 was identified as the ubiquitin ligase for PTEN, mediating its degradation and down-stream events. However, the mechanisms how NEDD4–1 is regulated by up-stream signaling pathways or interaction with other proteins in promoting PTEN degradation remain largely unclear. In the present study, we identified that the adaptor protein Numb, which is demonstrated to be a novel binding partner of NEDD4–1, plays important roles in controlling PTEN ubiquitination through regulating NEDD4–1 activity and the association between PTEN and NEDD4–1. Furthermore, we provided data to show that Numb regulates cell proliferation and glucose metabolism in a PTEN-dependent manner. Overall, our study revealed a novel regulation of the well-documented NEDD4–1/PTEN pathway and its oncogenic behavior.