Suzanne Elsasser

Enhancement of proteasome activity by a small-molecule inhibitor of USP14

Proteasomes, the primary mediators of ubiquitin–protein conjugate degradation, are regulated through complex and poorly understood mechanisms. Here we show that USP14, a proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzyme, can inhibit the degradation of ubiquitin–protein conjugates both in vitro and in cells. A catalytically inactive variant of USP14 has reduced inhibitory activity, indicating that inhibition is mediated by trimming of the ubiquitin chain on the substrate. A high-throughput screen identified a selective small-molecule inhibitor of the deubiquitinating activity of human USP14. Treatment of cultured cells with this compound enhanced degradation of several proteasome substrates that have been implicated in neurodegenerative disease. USP14 inhibition accelerated the degradation of oxidized proteins and enhanced resistance to oxidative stress. Enhancement of proteasome activity through inhibition of USP14 may offer a strategy to reduce the levels of aberrant proteins in cells under proteotoxic stress.

Proteasome subunit Rpn13 is a novel ubiquitin receptor

Proteasomal receptors that recognize ubiquitin chains attached to substrates are key mediators of selective protein degradation in eukaryotes. Here we report the identification of a new ubiquitin receptor, Rpn13/ARM1, a known component of the proteasome. Rpn13 binds ubiquitin through a conserved amino-terminal region termed the pleckstrin-like receptor for ubiquitin (Pru) domain, which binds K48-linked diubiquitin with an affinity of approximately 90 nM. Like proteasomal ubiquitin receptor Rpn10/S5a, Rpn13 also binds ubiquitin-like (UBL) domains of UBL-ubiquitin-associated (UBA) proteins. In yeast, a synthetic phenotype results when specific mutations of the ubiquitin binding sites of Rpn10 and Rpn13 are combined, indicating functional linkage between these ubiquitin receptors. Because Rpn13 is also the proteasomal receptor for Uch37, a deubiquitinating enzyme, our findings suggest a coupling of chain recognition and disassembly at the proteasome.

Proteasome subunit Rpn1 binds ubiquitin-like protein domains

The yeast protein Rad23 belongs to a diverse family of proteins that contain an amino-terminal ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain. This domain mediates the binding of Rad23 to proteasomes, which in turn promotes DNA repair and modulates protein degradation, possibly by delivering ubiquitinylated cargo to proteasomes. Here we show that Rad23 binds proteasomes by directly interacting with the base subcomplex of the regulatory particle of the proteasome. A component of the base, Rpn1, specifically recognizes the UBL domain of Rad23 through its leucine-rich-repeat-like (LRR-like) domain. A second UBL protein, Dsk2, competes with Rad23 for proteasome binding, which suggests that the LRR-like domain of Rpn1 may participate in the recognition of several ligands of the proteasome. We propose that the LRR domain of Rpn1 may be positioned in the base to allow the cargo proteins carried by Rad23 to be presented to the proteasomal ATPases for unfolding. We also report that, contrary to expectation, the base subunit Rpn10 does not mediate the binding of UBL proteins to the proteasome in yeast, although it can apparently contribute to the binding of ubiquitin chains by intact proteasomes.

Quantitative analysis of in vitro ubiquitinated cyclin B1 reveals complex chain topology

Protein ubiquitination regulates many cellular processes, including protein degradation, signal transduction, DNA repair and cell division. In the classical model, a uniform polyubiquitin chain that is linked through Lys 48 is required for recognition and degradation by the 26S proteasome. Here, we used a reconstituted system and quantitative mass spectrometry to demonstrate that cyclin B1 is modified by ubiquitin chains of complex topology, rather than by homogeneous Lys 48-linked chains. The anaphase-promoting complex was found to attach monoubiquitin to multiple lysine residues on cyclin B1, followed by poly-ubiquitin chain extensions linked through multiple lysine residues of ubiquitin (Lys 63, Lys 11 and Lys 48). These heterogeneous ubiquitin chains were sufficient for binding to ubiquitin receptors, as well as for degradation by the 26S proteasome, even when they were synthesized with mutant ubiquitin that lacked Lys 48. Together, our observations expand the context of what can be considered to be a sufficient degradation signal and provide unique insights into the mechanisms of substrate ubiquitination.

Delivery of ubiquitinated substrates to protein-unfolding machines

Recent work has shown that ubiquitination leads to recognition of target proteins by diverse ubiquitin receptors. One family of receptors delivers the ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome resulting in ATP-dependent substrate unfolding and proteolysis. A related family of ubiquitin-binding proteins seems to recruit ubiquitinated proteins to Cdc48, an ATPase ring complex that can also unfold proteins. Some targets seem to dock at Cdc48 before the proteasome does, in an ordered pathway. The intimate interplay between the proteasome and Cdc48, mediated in part by loosely associated ubiquitin receptors, has important functions in cellular regulation.

Deubiquitinating Enzyme Ubp6 Functions Noncatalytically to Delay Proteasomal Degradation

Ubiquitin chains serve as a recognition motif for the proteasome, a multisubunit protease, which degrades its substrates into polypeptides while releasing ubiquitin for reuse. Yeast proteasomes contain two deubiquitinating enzymes, Ubp6 and Rpn11. Rpn11 promotes protein breakdown through its degradation-coupled activity. In contrast, we show here that Ubp6 has the capacity to delay the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins by the proteasome. However, delay of degradation by Ubp6 does not require its catalytic activity, indicating that Ubp6 has both deubiquitinating activity and proteasome-inhibitory activity. Delay of degradation by Ubp6 appears to provide a time window allowing gradual deubiquitination of the substrate by Ubp6. Rpn11 catalyzes en bloc chain removal, and Ubp6 interferes with degradation at or upstream of this step, so that degradation delay by Ubp6 is accompanied by a switch in the mode of ubiquitin chain processing. We propose that Ubp6 regulates both the nature and magnitude of proteasome activity.

Ubiquitin docking at the proteasome through a novel pleckstrin-homology domain interaction

Targeted protein degradation is largely performed by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, in which substrate proteins are marked by covalently attached ubiquitin chains that mediate recognition by the proteasome. It is currently unclear how the proteasome recognizes its substrates, as the only established ubiquitin receptor intrinsic to the proteasome is Rpn10/S5a (ref. 1), which is not essential for ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation in budding yeast. In the accompanying manuscript we report that Rpn13 (refs 3–7), a component of the nine-subunit proteasome base, functions as a ubiquitin receptor, complementing its known role in docking de-ubiquitinating enzyme Uch37/UCHL5 (refs 4–6) to the proteasome. Here we merge crystallography and NMR data to describe the ubiquitin-binding mechanism of Rpn13. We determine the structure of Rpn13 alone and complexed with ubiquitin. The co-complex reveals a novel ubiquitin-binding mode in which loops rather than secondary structural elements are used to capture ubiquitin. Further support for the role of Rpn13 as a proteasomal ubiquitin receptor is demonstrated by its ability to bind ubiquitin and proteasome subunit Rpn2/S1 simultaneously. Finally, we provide a model structure of Rpn13 complexed to diubiquitin, which provides insights into how Rpn13 as a ubiquitin receptor is coupled to substrate deubiquitination by Uch37.

Proteasome-associated proteins: regulation of a proteolytic machine

Abstract The proteasome is a compartmentalized, ATP-dependent protease composed of more than 30 subunits that recognizes and degrades polyubiquitinated substrates. Despite its physiological importance, many aspects of the proteasomes structural organization and regulation remain poorly understood. In addition to the proteins that form the proteasome holocomplex, there is increasing evidence that proteasomal function is affected by a wide variety of associating proteins. A group of ubiquitin-binding proteins assist in delivery of substrates to the proteasome, whereas proteasome-associated ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinating enzymes may alter the dynamics of ubiquitin chains already associated with the proteasome. Some proteins appear to influence the overall stability of the complex, and still others have the capacity to activate or inhibit the hydrolytic activity of the core particle. The increasing number of interacting proteins identified suggests that proteasomes, as they exist in the cell, are larger and more diverse in composition than previously assumed. Thus, the study of proteasome-associated proteins will lead to new perspectives on the dynamics of this uniquely complex proteolytic machine.

Characterization of the Proteasome Using Native Gel Electrophoresis

Several features of the proteasome make it an excellent subject for analysis by native gel electrophoresis: its size, the multiplicity of variant complexes having proteasome activity, the ease of in-gel assays for proteasome activity, and even its relatively high cellular abundance. Accordingly, native gels have been used to analyze the composition, assembly, gating activity, and binding characteristics of the proteasome. This chapter describes methods for preparing, running, and developing native gels and the proteasome species that are routinely visualized. Additionally, the use of native gels to resolve proteasome complexes present in lysate and to characterize proteasome ligands are described. Following native gel electrophoresis, secondary analyses can be performed, such as activating the core particle, making specific activity assessments, Western blotting of the native gel, resolving native complexes with subsequent SDS-PAGE, and protein identification by mass spectrometry.

Rpn1 provides adjacent receptor sites for substrate binding and deubiquitination by the proteasome.

The yin and yang of proteasomal regulation The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway regulates myriad proteins through their selective proteolysis. The small protein ubiquitin is attached, typically in many copies, to the target protein, which is then recognized and broken down by the proteasome. Shi et al. found a repeat structure in the proteasome for recognizing ubiquitin as well as ubiquitin-like (UBL) proteins. Tandem binding sites allow the proteasome to dock multiple proteins. One of the bound UBL proteins is an enzyme that cleaves ubiquitin-protein conjugates, which antagonizes degradation. Thus, the repetition of related binding sites with distinct specificity achieves a balance of positive and negative regulation of the proteasome. Science, this issue p. 10.1126/science.aad9421 Tandem ligand-binding sites in the proteasome subunit Rpn1 modulate proteasome activity both positively and negatively. INTRODUCTION The ubiquitin-proteasome system comprises hundreds of distinct pathways of degradation, which converge at the step of ubiquitin recognition by the proteasome. Five proteasomal ubiquitin receptors have been identified, two that are intrinsic to the proteasome (Rpn10 and Rpn13) and three reversibly associated proteasomal ubiquitin receptors (Rad23, Dsk2, and Ddi1). RATIONALE We found that the five known proteasomal ubiquitin receptors of yeast are collectively nonessential for ubiquitin recognition by the proteasome. We therefore screened for additional ubiquitin receptors in the proteasome and identified subunit Rpn1 as a candidate. We used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterize the structure of the binding site within Rpn1, which we term the T1 site. Mutational analysis of this site showed its functional importance within the context of intact proteasomes. T1 binds both ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like (UBL) proteins, in particular the substrate-delivering shuttle factor Rad23. A second site within the Rpn1 toroid, T2, recognizes the UBL domain of deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6, as determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analysis and validated by amino acid substitution and functional assays. The Rpn1 toroid thus serves a critical scaffolding role within the proteasome, helping to assemble multiple proteasome cofactors, as well as substrates. RESULTS Our results indicate that proteasome subunit Rpn1 can recognize both ubiquitin and UBL domains of substrate shuttling factors that themselves bind ubiquitin and function as reversibly associated proteasomal ubiquitin receptors. Recognition is mediated by the T1 site within the Rpn1 toroid, which supports proteasome function in vivo. We found that the capacity of T1 to recognize both ubiquitin and UBL shuttling proteins was shared with Rpn10 and Rpn13. The surprising multiplicity of ubiquitin-recognition domains within the proteasome may promote enhanced, multipoint binding of ubiquitin chains. The structures of the T1 site in its free state and in complex with monoubiquitin or lysine 48 (K48)–linked diubiquitin were solved, which revealed that three neighboring outer helices from the T1 toroid engage two ubiquitins. This ubiquitin-binding domain is structurally distinct from those of Rpn10 and Rpn13, despite their common ligands. Moreover, the Rpn1-binding mode leads to a preference for certain ubiquitin chain types, especially K6- and K48-linked chains, in a distinct configuration that can position substrates close to the entry port of the proteasome. The fate of proteasome-docked ubiquitin conjugates is determined by a competition between substrate degradation and deubiquitination; the latter leads to premature release of substrates. Proximal to the T1 site within the Rpn1 toroid is a second UBL-binding site, T2, that does not assist in ubiquitin chain recognition but, rather, in chain disassembly, by binding to the UBL domain of deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6. Note that the UBL interactors at T1 and T2 are distinct and assign substrate localization to T1 and substrate deubiquitination to T2. CONCLUSION A ligand-binding hotspot was identified in the Rpn1 toroid, consisting of two adjacent receptor sites, referred to as T1 and T2. The Rpn1 toroid represents a distinct class of binding domains for ubiquitin and UBL proteins. The T1 site functions to recruit substrates directly by binding to ubiquitin itself and indirectly by binding to UBL shuttling factors, a feature shared by Rpn10 and Rpn13 despite a lack of structural similarity among these receptors. The T2 site also binds to a UBL domain protein, in this case deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6. This study thus defines a two-site recognition domain intrinsic to the proteasome that uses distinct ubiquitin-fold ligands to assemble substrates, substrate shuttling factors, and a deubiquitinating enzyme in close proximity. A ligand-binding hotspot in the proteasome for assembling substrates and cofactors. Schematic (top) and model structure (bottom, left) mapping the UBL-binding Rpn1 T1 (indigo) and T2 (orange) sites. (Bottom, right) Enlarged region of the proteasome designed to illustrate Rpn1 T1 and T2 sites bound to a ubiquitinated (yellow) substrate (beige) and deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6 (green), respectively. Aided by PDB 4CR2, 1WGG, 1VJV, and 2B9R. Hundreds of pathways for degradation converge at ubiquitin recognition by a proteasome. Here, we found that the five known proteasomal ubiquitin receptors in yeast are collectively nonessential for ubiquitin recognition and identified a sixth receptor, Rpn1. A site (T1) in the Rpn1 toroid recognized ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like (UBL) domains of substrate shuttling factors. T1 structures with monoubiquitin or lysine 48 diubiquitin show three neighboring outer helices engaging two ubiquitins. T1 contributes a distinct substrate-binding pathway with preference for lysine 48–linked chains. Proximal to T1 within the Rpn1 toroid is a second UBL-binding site (T2) that assists in ubiquitin chain disassembly, by binding the UBL of deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6. Thus, a two-site recognition domain intrinsic to the proteasome uses distinct ubiquitin-fold ligands to assemble substrates, shuttling factors, and a deubiquitinating enzyme.