X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein mediates neddylation by itself but does not function as a NEDD8-E3 ligase for caspase-7.

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is a potent antagonist of caspases, and functions as a ubiquitin-E3 ligase by itself and for caspases. Recently, NEDD8, a ubiquitin-like modifier, has been suggested to be used for modification of caspase-7 mediated by XIAP. However, it is not clear whether caspase-7 is a bona fide target for NEDD8. Here we showed that no neddylation of caspase-7 but that of XIAP itself was observed under the conditions in which caspase-7 was modified with ubiquitin. These results reveal that XIAP does not function as a NEDD8-E3 ligase for caspase-7 in vivo.