U-box domain, a modified RING finger, found in carboxyl terminus of HSP70-interacting protein (CHIP) and similar proteins
CHIP, also known as STIP1 homology and U box-containing protein 1 (STUB1), CLL-associated antigen KW-8, or Antigen NY-CO-7, is a multifunctional protein that functions both as a co-chaperone and an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase. It couples protein folding and proteasome mediated degradation by interacting with heat shock proteins (e.g. HSC70) and ubiquitinating their misfolded client proteins, thereby targeting them for proteasomal degradation. It is also important for cellular differentiation and survival (or apoptosis), as well as susceptibility to stress. It targets a wide range of proteins, such as expanded ataxin-1, ataxin-3, huntingtin, and androgen receptor, which play roles in glucocorticoid response, tau degradation, and both p53 and cAMP signaling. CHIP contains an N-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain responsible for protein-protein interaction, a highly charged middle coiled-coil (CC), and a C-terminal RING-like U-box domain acting as an ubiquitin ligase.