A license to kill: Transcriptional activation and enhanced turnover of Myc by the SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase

Understanding the mechanisms through which the abundance and activity of the Myc oncoprotein is regulated has been a major preoccupation of the cancer and transcription communities. New work, published in the May issue of Molecular Cell, reveals that ubiquitination of Myc by the oncogenic SCFSkp2 complex not only promotes Myc turnover but is also required for Myc transcriptional activation, suggesting that Myc activity is “licensed” by ubiquitination.