GID E3 ligase supramolecular chelate assembly configures multipronged ubiquitin targeting of an oligomeric metabolic enzyme

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A GID E3 ligase assembly ubiquitinates an Rsp5 E3 adaptor and regulates plasma membrane transporters

Cells rapidly remodel their proteomes to align their cellular metabolism to environmental conditions. Ubiquitin E3 ligases enable this response, by facilitating rapid and reversible changes to protein stability, localization, or interaction partners. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the GID E3 ligase regulates the switch from gluconeogenic to glycolytic conditions through induction and incorporation of the substrate receptor subunit Gid4, which promotes the degradation of gluconeogenic enzymes. Here, we show an alternative substrate receptor, Gid10, which is induced in response to changes in temperature, osmolarity, and nutrient availability, regulates the ART‐Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase pathway, a component of plasma membrane quality control. Proteomic studies reveal that the levels of the adaptor protein Art2 are elevated upon GID10 deletion. A crystal structure shows the basis for Gid10‐Art2 interactions, and we demonstrate that Gid10 directs a GID E3 ligase complex to ubiquitinate Art2. Our data suggest that the GID E3 ligase affects Art2‐dependent amino acid transport. This study reveals GID as a system of E3 ligases with metabolic regulatory functions outside of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, controlled by distinct stress‐specific substrate receptors.     

Prp19/Pso4 Is an Autoinhibited Ubiquitin Ligase Activated by Stepwise Assembly of Three Splicing Factors

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向日葵E3泛素连接酶基因克隆及表达分析

该研究从向日葵中克隆了E3泛素连接酶基因HERC2,并进行了生物信息学分析和不同胁迫条件的表达分析。序列分析表明,HERC2(登录号为KT832066)序列的CDS为1 608bp,编码535个氨基酸,预测其分子量131kD,等电点为5.03。HERC2编码的蛋白质为疏水性蛋白质,且为细胞质蛋白;亚细胞定位预测分析表明,向日葵HERC2可能定位在高尔基体中;该蛋白质有5个RCC1保守结构域。向日葵HERC2与已报道的其他植物同源蛋白有相似的保守区域,与醉蝶花亲缘关系最近,而与大豆和野生大豆的亲缘关系最远。与HERC2cDNA对应的gDNA(登录号为KT832067)的ORF长度为3 409bp,与cDNA编码序列比对结果表明,该gDNA由5个外显子和4个内含子组成。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,向日葵HERC2基因表达受非生物胁迫调节,在不同器官及不同非生物胁迫下存在特异性表达差异。研究认为,HERC2基因应答逆境胁迫具有其特定的表达模式,研究结果为加强对HERC2的利用奠定了基础。     

Mex-3C研究新进展：结合RNA的泛素E3连接酶与染色体不稳定性抑制基因

Mex-3C蛋白（又称RKHD2）具备2个串联重复的KH结构域和1个环指结构域,具备结合RNA的能力,同时也是泛素E3连接酶家族的一员.它可以诱导某些mRNA降解,并且这一过程可以被一种去泛素化酶USP7阻断,据此产生了结合RNA的泛素连接酶的概念并暗示泛素化可能与mRNA降解之间存在某种联系. Mex-3C可能通过利用该特性参与调节某些生理功能.另一方面,结直肠癌细胞MEX3C基因缺陷可以导致染色体不稳定性的产生,由此提出了染色体不稳定性抑制基因的观点.DNA复制应激被证实介导了两者之间的相互作用.本文将从这两个新概念出发介绍Mex-3C现有的研究进展,并指出后续的研究方向.     

The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Adaptor Protein Skp1 Is Glycosylated by an Evolutionarily Conserved Pathway That Regulates Protist Growth and Development

Toxoplasma gondii is a protist parasite of warm-blooded animals that causes disease by proliferating intracellularly in muscle and the central nervous system. Previous studies showed that a prolyl 4-hydroxylase related to animal HIFα prolyl hydroxylases is required for optimal parasite proliferation, especially at low O₂. We also observed that Pro-154 of Skp1, a subunit of the Skp1/Cullin-1/F-box protein (SCF)-class of E3-ubiquitin ligases, is a natural substrate of this enzyme. In an unrelated protist, Dictyostelium discoideum, Skp1 hydroxyproline is modified by five sugars via the action of three glycosyltransferases, Gnt1, PgtA, and AgtA, which are required for optimal O₂-dependent development. We show here that TgSkp1 hydroxyproline is modified by a similar pentasaccharide, based on mass spectrometry, and that assembly of the first three sugars is dependent on Toxoplasma homologs of Gnt1 and PgtA. Reconstitution of the glycosyltransferase reactions in extracts with radioactive sugar nucleotide substrates and appropriate Skp1 glycoforms, followed by chromatographic analysis of acid hydrolysates of the reaction products, confirmed the predicted sugar identities as GlcNAc, Gal, and Fuc. Disruptions of gnt1 or pgtA resulted in decreased parasite growth. Off target effects were excluded based on restoration of the normal glycan chain and growth upon genetic complementation. By analogy to Dictyostelium Skp1, the mechanism may involve regulation of assembly of the SCF complex. Understanding the mechanism of Toxoplasma Skp1 glycosylation is expected to help develop it as a drug target for control of the pathogen, as the glycosyltransferases are absent from mammalian hosts.     

Ubiquitination of E3 ligases: self-regulation of the ubiquitin system via proteolytic and non-proteolytic mechanisms

Ubiquitin modification of many cellular proteins targets them for proteasomal degradation, but in addition can also serve non-proteolytic functions. Over the last years, a significant progress has been made in our understanding of how modification of the substrates of the ubiquitin system is regulated. However, little is known on how the ubiquitin system that is comprised of ～1500 components is regulated. Here, we discuss how the biggest subfamily within the system, that of the E3 ubiquitin ligases that endow the system with its high specificity towards the numerous substrates, is regulated and in particular via self-regulation mediated by ubiquitin modification. Ligases can be targeted for degradation in a self-catalyzed manner, or through modification mediated by an external ligase(s). In addition, non-proteolytic functions of self-ubiquitination, for example activation of the ligase, of E3s are discussed.     

向日葵E3泛素连接酶基因的分析定位和表达鉴定

该研究利用前期获得的向日葵耐盐相关基因E3泛素连接酶基因序列(HERC2),构建瞬时表达载体Cam-35S-HERC2-GFP,采用基因枪法转化洋葱表皮细胞进行亚细胞定位;采用RT-PCR技术,分析盐胁迫下HERC2在耐盐品种P50和盐敏感品种P29根、下胚轴和叶中的表达差异;构建HERC2植物表达载体pPZP221-HERC2,采用农杆菌介导法将HERC2导入烟草,进行耐盐功能验证。结果表明:(1)HERC2蛋白定位在细胞膜、细胞质和细胞核中。(2)受到NaCl胁迫后,HERC2基因在耐盐品种P50和盐敏感品种P29中均上调表达,但耐盐品种中的表达量较高。(3)HERC2基因的表达,能够提高转基因烟草的耐盐性。该研究结果为进一步解析向日葵对盐胁迫的响应机制,以及耐盐新品种的选育奠定了基础。     

CaPUB1, a Hot Pepper U-box E3 Ubiquitin Ligase,Confers Enhanced Cold Stress Tolerance and Decreased Drought Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abiotic stresses such as drought and low temperature critically restrict plant growth, reproduction, and productivity. Higher plants have developed various defense strategies against these unfavorable conditions. CaPUB1 (Capsicum annuum Putative U-box protein 1) is a hot pepper U-box E3 Ub ligase. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that constitutively expressed CaPUB1 exhibited drought-sensitive phenotypes, suggesting that it functions as a negative regulator of the drought stress response. In this study, CaPUB1 was over-expressed in rice (Oryza sativa L.), and the phenotypic properties of transgenic rice plants were examined in terms of their drought and cold stress tolerance. Ubi:CaPUB1 T3 transgenic rice plants displayed phenotypes hypersensitive to dehydration, suggesting that its role in the negative regulation of drought stress response is conserved in dicot Arabidopsis and monocot rice plants. In contrast, Ubi:CaPUB1 progeny exhibited phenotypes markedly tolerant to prolonged low temperature (4°C) treatment, compared to those of wild-type plants, as determined by survival rates, electrolyte leakage, and total chlorophyll content. Cold stress-induced marker genes, including DREB1A, DREB1B, DREB1C, and Cytochrome P450, were more up-regulated by cold treatment in Ubi:CaPUB1 plants than in wild-type plants. These results suggest that CaPUB1 serves as both a negative regulator of the drought stress response and a positive regulator of the cold stress response in transgenic rice plants. This raises the possibility that CaPUB1 participates in the cross-talk between drought and low-temperature signaling pathways.     

Interaction between Mnk2 and CBCVHL ubiquitin ligase E3 complex

MAP kinase-interacting kinase-2 (Mnk2) is one of the downstream kinases activated by MAP kinases. It phosphorylates the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (elF4E), although the role of elF4E phosphorylation and the role of Mnk2 in the process of protein translation are not well understood. Except for elF4E, other physiological substrates of Mnk2 are still unidentified. To look for these unidentified substrates and to reveal the physiological function of Mnk2, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening with Mnk2 as the bait. The results demonstrated Mnk2 could interact with VHL (von Hip-pel-Lindau tumor suppressor), Rbx1 (ring-box 1) and Cul2 (Cullin2) proteins in yeast cells. Furthermore, we validated the interaction between Mnk2 and VHL proteins in mammalian cells by co-immunoprecipitation analysis. Because the three proteins VHL, Rbx1 and Cul2 are all components of the CBCVHL ubiquitin ligase E3 complex, it has been shown that Mnk2 can interact with CBCVHL complex, and is probably one of the new substrates of the CBCVHL complex. Furthermore, during the interaction of Mnk2 with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor- binding protein 1 (VBP1), it appears that Mnk2 also joins to modulate cell shape as VBP1 plays an important role in the process of the maturation of the cytoskeleton and in the process of morphogenesis.     

Insights into links between autophagy and the ubiquitin system from the structure of LC3B bound to the LIR motif from the E3 ligase NEDD4

Members of the LC3/GABARAP family of ubiquitin‐like proteins function during autophagy by serving as membrane linked protein‐binding platforms. Their C‐termini are physically attached to membranes through covalent linkage to primary amines on lipids such as phosphatidylethanolamine, while their ubiquitin‐like fold domains bind “LIR” (LC3‐Interacting Region) sequences found within an extraordinarily diverse array of proteins including regulators of autophagy, adaptors that recruit ubiquitinated cargoes to be degraded, and even proteins controlling processes at membranes that are not associated with autophagy. Recently, LC3/GABARAP proteins were found to bind the ubiquitin E3 ligase NEDD4 to influence ubiquitination associated with autophagy in human cell lines. Here, we use purified recombinant proteins to define LC3B interactions with a specific LIR sequence from NEDD4, present a crystal structure showing atomic details of the interaction, and show that LC3B‐binding can steer intrinsic NEDD4 E3 ligase activity. The data provide detailed molecular insights underlying recruitment of an E3 ubiquitin ligase to phagophores during autophagy.     

In vivo CRISPR screens identify the E3 ligase Cop1 as a modulator of macrophage infiltration and cancer immunotherapy target

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Arabidopsis RING E3 ubiquitin ligase JUL1 participates in ABA‐mediated microtubule depolymerization,stomatal closure,and tolerance response to drought stress

Ubiquitination is a critical post‐translational protein modification that has been implicated in diverse cellular processes, including abiotic stress responses, in plants. In the present study, we identified and characterized a T‐DNA insertion mutant in the At5g10650 locus. Compared to wild‐type Arabidopsis plants, at5g10650 progeny were hyposensitive to ABA at the germination stage. At5g10650 possessed a single C‐terminal C3HC4‐type Really Interesting New Gene (RING) motif, which was essential for ABA‐mediated germination and E3 ligase activity in vitro. At5g10650 was closely associated with microtubules and microtubule‐associated proteins in Arabidopsis and tobacco leaf cells. Localization of At5g10650 to the nucleus was frequently observed. Unexpectedly, At5g10650 was identified as JAV1‐ASSOCIATED UBIQUITIN LIGASE1 (JUL1), which was recently reported to participate in the jasmonate signaling pathway. The jul1 knockout plants exhibited impaired ABA‐promoted stomatal closure. In addition, stomatal closure could not be induced by hydrogen peroxide and calcium in jul1 plants. jul1 guard cells accumulated wild‐type levels of H₂O₂ after ABA treatment. These findings indicated that JUL1 acts downstream of H₂O₂ and calcium in the ABA‐mediated stomatal closure pathway. Typical radial arrays of microtubules were maintained in jul1 guard cells after exposure to ABA, H₂O₂, and calcium, which in turn resulted in ABA‐hyposensitive stomatal movements. Finally, jul1 plants were markedly more susceptible to drought stress than wild‐type plants. Overall, our results suggest that the Arabidopsis RING E3 ligase JUL1 plays a critical role in ABA‐mediated microtubule disorganization, stomatal closure, and tolerance to drought stress.