The novel E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4 (NEDD4) has been implicated as a crucial factor promoting the tumorigenesis of several types of cancer.
Using this method, we screened for small-molecule modulators of SMAD ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (SMURF1), which belongs to the NEDD4 family of E3 ubiquitin ligases and is an attractive therapeutic target because of its roles in tumorigenesis.
Recent reports have indicated that NEDD4 might facilitate tumorigenesis through targeted degradation of multiple tumor suppressor proteins including PTEN.