Ankyrin repeat and SOCS box containing protein 4 (ASB4)

Ankyrin repeat and SOCS box containing protein 4 (ASB4) is a member of the ASB family, characterized by ankyrin repeat domains mediating protein–protein interactions and a SOCS box that recruits ubiquitin ligase complexes for targeted protein degradation. ASB4 acts as a substrate-recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex (Elongin-Cullin-SOCS box [ECS] complex), playing roles in regulating protein stability, particularly in vascular development and placental differentiation, via oxygen-dependent mechanisms. In the central nervous system, ASB4 is robustly expressed in hypothalamic neurons involved in energy homeostasis, where its activity influences feeding behavior, metabolic rate, and resistance to diet-induced obesity. ASB4 interacts with key signaling proteins such as GPS1 (a COP9 signalosome subunit), modulating pathways such as JNK kinase and insulin receptor signaling in neuronal and peripheral tissues. To date, ASB4 is not a direct therapeutic target, but evidence supports its significance in metabolic, developmental, and possibly vascular or neurological disorders

Other names

ASB-4ankyrin repeat and suppressor of cytokine signaling box protein 4

Not established for any drugs. Function is as an adaptor for the degradation of target proteins, but no therapeutically targeted drugs are reported