Cullin 2 (CUL2)

Kipreos et al. (1996) identified a conserved gene family, designated cullins, with at least 5 members in nematodes, 6 in humans, and 3 in S. cerevisiae. Human CUL2 is an ortholog of nematode cul2. Michel and Xiong (1998) identified human CUL2 cDNAs and reported that the predicted protein is 745 amino acids long.

CUL2 specifically associates with the trimeric VHL-elongin B-elongin C, or VBC, complex in vitro and in vivo. This association was disrupted by mutations in VHL that disrupt elongin binding. Nearly 70% of the naturally-occurring cancer-disposing mutations in VHL abrogate elongin binding, suggesting that binding to elongin-CUL2 complexes contributes to the ability of VHL to suppress tumor growth in vivo.