Electrophilic PROTACs that degrade nuclear proteins by engaging DCAF16

Ligand-dependent protein degradation has emerged as a compelling strategy to pharmacologically control the protein content of cells. So far, only a limited number of E3 ligases have been found to support this process. Here, we use a chemical proteomic strategy to discover that DCAF16 – a poorly characterized substrate recognition component of CUL4-DDB1 E3 ubiquitin ligases – promotes nuclear-restricted protein degradation upon modification by cysteine-directed heterobifunctional electrophilic compounds.