cd16448: RING-H2 (this model, PSSM-Id:319362 is obsolete and has been replaced by 438112)
H2 subclass of RING (RING-H2) finger and its variants
RING finger is a specialized type of Zn-finger of 40 to 60 residues that binds two atoms of zinc. It is defined by the "cross-brace" motif that chelates zinc atoms by eight amino acid residues, typically Cys or His, arranged in a characteristic spacing. Canonical RING motifs have been categorized as two major subclasses, RING-HC (C3HC4-type) and RING-H2 (C3H2C3-type), according to their Cys/His content. There are also many variants of RING fingers. Some have different Cys/His pattern. Some lack a single Cys or His residues at typical Zn ligand positions. Especially, the fourth or eighth zinc ligand is prevalently exchanged for an Asp, which can indeed chelate Zn in a RING finger as well. This family corresponds to H2 subclass of RING (RING-H2) finger proteins that are characterized by containing C3H2C3-type canonical RING-H2 fingers or noncanonical RING-H2 finger variants, including C4HC3- (RING-CH alias RINGv), C3H3C2-, C3H2C2D-, C3DHC3-, and C4HC2H-type modified RING-H2 fingers. The canonical RING-H2 finger has been defined as C-X2-C-X(9-39)-C-X(1-3)-H-X(2-3)-H-X2-C-X(4-48)-C-X2-C, X is any amino acid and the number of X residues varies in different fingers. It binds two Zn ions in a unique "cross-brace" arrangement, which distinguishes it from tandem zinc fingers and other similar motifs. RING-H2 finger can be found in a group of diverse proteins with a variety of cellular functions, including oncogenesis, development, viral replication, signal transduction, the cell cycle and apoptosis. Many of them are ubiquitin-protein ligases (E3s) that serves as a scaffold for binding to ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s, also referred to as ubiquitin carrier proteins or UBCs) in close proximity to substrate proteins, which enables efficient transfer of ubiquitin from E2 to the substrates.