Ubiquitin and control of transcription

2005 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 69-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarath C. Dhananjayan ◽  
Ayesha Ismail ◽  
Zafar Nawaz

Eukaryotic transcription is one of the most complex cellular processes and constitutes the first step in protein synthesis. Ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26 S proteasome, on the other hand, represents the final chapter in the life of a protein. Intriguingly, ubiquitin and the ubiquitin– proteasome system play vital roles in the regulation of transcription. Ubiquitin has dual modus operandi: firstly, ubiquitin functions via the 26 S proteasome — it is tagged to components of the transcription machinery, marking them for degradation via the proteasome, which results in the proper exchange of complexes during transcription and the prompt removal of activators after each round of transcription; and secondly, ubiquitin can function independently of the proteasome — histone ubiquitination results in heterochromatin relaxation and assembly of transcription complexes on the promoter, and ubiquitination of transcription factors enhances their transcriptional-activation function. Although ubiquitin and the ubiquitin–proteasome system were initially perceived as a graveyard for proteins, recent advances in molecular biological techniques have redefined their role as a regulatory system that influences the fate of many cellular processes, such as apoptosis, transcription and cell cycle progression.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1929
Author(s):  
Eva M. Huber ◽  
Michael Groll

At the heart of the ubiquitin–proteasome system, the 20S proteasome core particle (CP) breaks down the majority of intracellular proteins tagged for destruction. Thereby, the CP controls many cellular processes including cell cycle progression and cell signalling. Inhibitors of the CP can suppress these essential biological pathways, resulting in cytotoxicity, an effect that is beneficial for the treatment of certain blood cancer patients. During the last decade, several preclinical studies demonstrated that selective inhibition of the immunoproteasome (iCP), one of several CP variants in mammals, suppresses autoimmune diseases without inducing toxic side effects. These promising findings led to the identification of natural and synthetic iCP inhibitors with distinct chemical structures, varying potency and subunit selectivity. This review presents the most prominent iCP inhibitors with respect to possible scientific and medicinal applications, and discloses recent trends towards pan-immunoproteasome reactive inhibitors that cumulated in phase II clinical trials of the lead compound KZR-616 for chronic inflammations.


Hematology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Ciechanover

AbstractBetween the 1950s and 1980s, scientists were focusing mostly on how the genetic code is transcribed to RNA and translated to proteins, but how proteins are degraded has remained a neglected research area. With the discovery of the lysosome by Christian de Duve it was assumed that cellular proteins are degraded within this organelle. Yet, several independent lines of experimental evidence strongly suggested that intracellular proteolysis is largely non-lysosomal, but the mechanisms involved remained obscure. The discovery of the ubiquitin-proteasome system resolved the enigma. We now recognize that degradation of intracellular proteins is involved in regulation of a broad array of cellular processes, such as cell cycle and division, regulation of transcription factors, and assurance of the cellular quality control. Not surprisingly, aberrations in the system have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human disease, such as malignancies and neurodegenerative disorders, which led subsequently to an increasing effort to develop mechanism-based drugs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (5) ◽  
pp. C793-C804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibault Mayor ◽  
Michal Sharon ◽  
Michael H. Glickman

Degradation by the proteasome is the fate for a large portion of cellular proteins, and it plays a major role in maintaining protein homeostasis, as well as in regulating many cellular processes like cell cycle progression. A decrease in proteasome activity has been linked to aging and several age-related neurodegenerative pathologies and highlights the importance of the ubiquitin proteasome system regulation. While the proteasome has been traditionally viewed as a constitutive element of proteolysis, major studies have highlighted how different regulatory mechanisms can impact its activity. Importantly, alterations of proteasomal activity may have major impacts for its function and in therapeutics. On one hand, increasing proteasome activity could be beneficial to prevent the age-related downfall of protein homeostasis, whereas inhibiting or reducing its activity can prevent the proliferation of cancer cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 4423-4434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Ottinger ◽  
Daniel Pliquet ◽  
Thomas Christalla ◽  
Ronald Frank ◽  
James P. Stewart ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Infection of mice with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) provides a valuable animal model for gamma-2 herpesvirus (rhadinovirus) infection and pathogenesis. The MHV-68 orf73 protein has been shown to be required for the establishment of viral latency in vivo. This study describes a novel transcriptional activation function of the MHV-68 orf73 protein and identifies the cellular bromodomain containing BET proteins Brd2/RING3, Brd3/ORFX, and BRD4 as interaction partners for the MHV-68 orf73 protein. BET protein members are known to interact with acetylated histones, and Brd2 and Brd4 have been implicated in fundamental cellular processes, including cell cycle regulation and transcriptional regulation. Using MHV-68 orf73 peptide array assays, we identified Brd2 and Brd4 interaction sites in the orf73 protein. Mutation of one binding site led to a loss of the interaction with Brd2/4 but not the retinoblastoma protein Rb, to impaired chromatin association, and to a decreased ability to activate the BET-responsive cyclin D1, D2, and E promoters. The results therefore pinpoint the binding site for Brd2/4 in a rhadinoviral orf73 protein and suggest that the recruitment of a member of the BET protein family allows the MHV-68 orf73 protein to activate the promoters of G1/S cyclins. These findings point to parallels between the transcriptional activator functions of rhadinoviral orf73 proteins and papillomavirus E2 proteins.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryosuke Hayama ◽  
Peizhen Yang ◽  
Federico Valverde ◽  
Tsuyoshi Mizoguchi ◽  
Ikuyo Furutani-Hayama ◽  
...  

AbstractProtein ubiquitylation participates in a number of essential cellular processes including signal transduction and transcription, often by initiating the degradation of specific substrates through the 26S proteasome. Within the ubiquitin-proteasome system, deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) not only help generate and maintain the supply of free ubiquitin monomers, they also directly control functions and activities of specific target proteins by modulating the pool of ubiquitylated species. Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolases (UCHs) belong to an enzymatic subclass of DUBs, and are represented by three members in Arabidopsis, UCH1, UCH2 and UCH3. UCH1 and UCH2 influence auxin-dependent developmental pathways in Arabidopsis through their deubiquitylation activities, whereas biological and enzymatic functions of UCH3 remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis UCH3 acts to maintain the period of the circadian clock at high temperatures redundantly with UCH1 and UCH2. Whereas single uch1, uch2 and uch3 mutants have weak circadian phenotypes, the triple uch mutant displays a drastic lengthening of period at high temperatures that is more extreme than the uch1 uch2 double mutant. UCH3 also possesses a broad deubiquitylation activity against a range of substrates that link ubiquitin via peptide and isopeptide linkages. While the protein target(s) of UCH1-3 are not yet known, we propose that these DUBs act on one or more factors that control period length of the circadian clock through removal of their bound ubiquitin moieties, thus ensuring that the clock oscillates with a proper period even at elevated temperatures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1424
Author(s):  
Hye-Ra Lee ◽  
Myoung Kyu Lee ◽  
Chan Woo Kim ◽  
Meehyein Kim

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has been recognized for regulating fundamental cellular processes, followed by induction of proteasomal degradation of target proteins, and triggers multiple signaling pathways that are crucial for numerous aspects of cellular physiology. Especially tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins, well-known E3 ubiquitin ligases, emerge as having critical roles in several antiviral signaling pathways against varying viral infections. Here we highlight recent advances in the study of antiviral roles of TRIM proteins toward influenza virus infection in terms of the modulation of pathogen recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated innate immune sensing, direct obstruction of influenza viral propagation, and participation in virus-induced autophagy.


2007 ◽  
Vol 177 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan L. Landsverk ◽  
Shumin Li ◽  
Alex H. Hutagalung ◽  
Ayaz Najafov ◽  
Thorsten Hoppe ◽  
...  

Myosin motors are central to diverse cellular processes in eukaryotes. Homologues of the myosin chaperone UNC-45 have been implicated in the assembly and function of myosin-containing structures in organisms from fungi to humans. In muscle, the assembly of sarcomeric myosin is regulated to produce stable, uniform thick filaments. Loss-of-function mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-45 lead to decreased muscle myosin accumulation and defective thick filament assembly, resulting in paralyzed animals. We report that transgenic worms overexpressing UNC-45 also display defects in myosin assembly, with decreased myosin content and a mild paralysis phenotype. We find that the reduced myosin accumulation is the result of degradation through the ubiquitin/proteasome system. Partial proteasome inhibition is able to restore myosin protein and worm motility to nearly wild-type levels. These findings suggest a mechanism in which UNC-45–related proteins may contribute to the degradation of myosin in conditions such as heart failure and muscle wasting.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 4325-4332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingwei Min ◽  
Tycho E. T. Mevissen ◽  
Maria De Luca ◽  
David Komander ◽  
Catherine Lindon

The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) directs programmed destruction of key cellular regulators via posttranslational modification of its targets with polyubiquitin chains. These commonly contain Lys-48 (K48)–directed ubiquitin linkages, but chains containing atypical Lys-11 (K11) linkages also target substrates to the proteasome—for example, to regulate cell cycle progression. The ubiquitin ligase called the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) controls mitotic exit. In higher eukaryotes, the APC/C works with the E2 enzyme UBE2S to assemble K11 linkages in cells released from mitotic arrest, and these are proposed to constitute an improved proteolytic signal during exit from mitosis. We tested this idea by correlating quantitative measures of in vivo K11-specific ubiquitination of individual substrates, including Aurora kinases, with their degradation kinetics tracked at the single-cell level. All anaphase substrates tested by this methodology are stabilized by depletion of K11 linkages via UBE2S knockdown, even if the same substrates are significantly modified with K48-linked polyubiquitin. Specific examination of substrates depending on the APC/C coactivator Cdh1 for their degradation revealed Cdh1-dependent enrichment of K11 chains on these substrates, whereas other ubiquitin linkages on the same substrates added during mitotic exit were Cdh1-independent. Therefore we show that K11 linkages provide the APC/C with a means to regulate the rate of substrate degradation in a coactivator-specified manner.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 907-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Madoux ◽  
Scott Simanski ◽  
Peter Chase ◽  
Jitendra K. Mishra ◽  
William R. Roush ◽  
...  

The tyrosine kinase Wee1 is part of a key cellular sensing mechanism that signals completion of DNA replication, ensuring proper timing of entry into mitosis. Wee1 acts as an inhibitor of mitotic entry by phosphorylating cyclin-dependent kinase CDK1. Wee1 activity is mainly regulated at the protein level through its phosphorylation and subsequent degradation by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. To facilitate identification of small molecules preventing Wee1 degradation, a homogeneous cell-based assay was developed using HeLa cells transiently transfected with a Wee1-luciferase fusion protein. To ensure ultra-high-throughput screening (uHTS) compatibility, the assay was scaled to a 1536-well plate format and cells were transfected in bulk and cryopreserved. This miniaturized homogeneous assay demonstrated robust performance, with a calculated Z′ factor of 0.65 ± 0.05. The assay was screened against a publicly available library of ~218,000 compounds to identify Wee1 stabilizers. Nonselective, cytotoxic, and promiscuous compounds were rapidly triaged through the use of a similarly formatted counterscreen that measured stabilization of an N-cyclin B-luciferase fusion protein, as well as execution of viability assessment in the parental HeLa cell line. This screening campaign led to the discovery of 4 unrelated cell-permeable small molecules that showed selective Wee1-luciferase stabilization with micromolar potency. One of these compounds, SID4243143 (ML 118), was shown to inhibit cell cycle progression, underscoring the importance of Wee1 degradation to the cell cycle. Results suggest that this uHTS approach is suitable for identifying selective chemical probes that prevent Wee1 degradation and generally applicable to discovering inhibitors of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 352-352
Author(s):  
Hyeongjoo Oh ◽  
Young-Hee Kang

Abstract Objectives Misfolded proteins were formed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to diverse stresses including metabolic stress and oxidative stress. Accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER stimulates chaperone expression and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) process. This process involves the recognition of misfolded proteins to maintain the protein quality control, which in turn eliminates in association with the ER membrane. Upregulation of ubiquitination enzymes is an essential mechanism by which ER stress enhances ERAD. Asaronic acid (2,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid), identified as one of purple perilla constituents, has anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. This study attempted to examine whether asaronic acid attenuated the 7Β-hydroxycholesterol-elicited ER stress of macrophages. Methods J774A.1 murine macrophage was incubated with 28 μM 7Β-hydroxycholesterol in absence and presence of 1–20 μΜ asaronic acid up to 24 h. Cytotoxicity was assessed by MTT assay. Expression levels of ER stress-responsive chaperones and ERAD biomarkers were measured by Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical staining with a specific antibody. Results Asaronic acid at 1–20 μM had a cytoprotective effect on macrophages against 7Β-hydroxycholesterol-induced toxicity. Asaronic acid diminished the induction and activation of ER stress sensors such as Grp/BiP, IRE1, and PERK in macrophages exposed to 7Β-hydroxycholesterol. Also, asaronic acid positively influenced the induction of ERAD process-linked components of EDEM1, OS9, SEl1L, HRD1, and VCP1/p97. Furthermore, asaronic acid promoted subsequent degradation reduced by 7Β-hydroxycholesterol via the cytosolar ubiquitin-proteasome system of macrophages. Conclusions These results demonstrate that asaronic acid attenuated 7Β-hydroxycholesterol-induced ER stress and improved impaired ER stress-mediated degradation systems. Therefore, asaronic acid may be a potent agent protecting macrophages against pathological ER stress damage. Funding Sources This work was supported by the BK21 FOUR(Fostering Outstanding Universities for Research, 4220200913807) funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).


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