Deleting a UBE3A substrate rescues impaired hippocampal physiology and learning in Angelman syndrome mice.

In humans, loss-of-function mutations in the UBE3A gene lead to the neurodevelopmental disorder Angelman syndrome (AS). AS patients have severe impairments in speech, learning and memory, and motor coordination, for which there is currently no treatment. In addition, UBE3A is duplicated in > 1-2% of patients with autism spectrum disorders-a further indication of the significant role it plays in brain development. Altered expression of UBE3A, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is hypothesized to lead to impaired levels of its target proteins, but identifying the contribution of individual UBE3A targets to UBE3A-dependent deficits remains of critical importance. Ephexin5 is a putative UBE3A substrate that has restricted expression early in development, regulates synapse formation during hippocampal development, and is abnormally elevated in AS mice, modeled by maternally-derived Ube3a gene deletion. Here, we report that Ephexin5 can be directly ubiquitylated by UBE3A. Furthermore, removing Ephexin5 from AS mice specifically rescued hippocampus-dependent behaviors, CA1 physiology, and deficits in dendritic spine number. Our findings identify Ephexin5 as a key driver of hippocampal dysfunction and related behavioral deficits in AS mouse models. These results demonstrate the exciting potential of targeting Ephexin5, and possibly other UBE3A substrates, to improve symptoms of AS and other UBE3A-related developmental disorders.

AMPK is activated during lysosomal damage via a galectin-ubiquitin signal transduction system.

Lysosomal damage activates AMPK, a regulator of macroautophagy/autophagy and metabolism, and elicits a strong ubiquitination response. Here we show that the cytosolic lectin LGALS9 detects lysosomal membrane breach by binding to lumenal glycoepitopes, and directs both the ubiquitination response and AMPK activation. Proteomic analyses have revealed increased LGALS9 association with lysosomes, and concomitant changes in LGALS9 interactions with its newly identified partners that control ubiquitination-deubiquitination processes. An LGALS9-inetractor, deubiquitinase USP9X, dissociates from damaged lysosomes upon recognition of lumenal glycans by LGALS9. USP9X's departure from lysosomes promotes K63 ubiquitination and stimulation of MAP3K7/TAK1, an upstream kinase and activator of AMPK hitherto orphaned for a precise physiological function. Ubiquitin-activated MAP3K7/TAK1 controls AMPK specifically during lysosomal injury, caused by a spectrum of membrane-damaging or -permeabilizing agents, including silica crystals, the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TNFSF10/TRAIL signaling, and the anti-diabetes drugs metformin. The LGALS9-ubiquitin system activating AMPK represents a novel signal transduction system contributing to various physiological outputs that are under the control of AMPK, including autophagy, MTOR, lysosomal maintenance and biogenesis, immunity, defense against microbes, and metabolic reprograming. ABBREVIATIONS: AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; APEX2: engineered ascorbate peroxidase 2; ATG13: autophagy related 13; ATG16L1: autophagy related 16 like 1; BMMs: bone marrow-derived macrophages; CAMKK2: calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase kinase 2; DUB: deubiquitinase; GPN: glycyl-L-phenylalanine 2-naphthylamide; LLOMe: L-leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAP3K7/TAK1: mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7; MERIT: membrane repair, removal and replacement; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; STK11/LKB1: serine/threonine kinase 11; TNFSF10/TRAIL: TNF superfamily member 10; USP9X: ubiquitin specific peptidase 9 X-linked.

AMPK, a Regulator of Metabolism and Autophagy, Is Activated by Lysosomal Damage via a Novel Galectin-Directed Ubiquitin Signal Transduction System.

AMPK is a central regulator of metabolism and autophagy. Here we show how lysosomal damage activates AMPK. This occurs via a hitherto unrecognized signal transduction system whereby cytoplasmic sentinel lectins detect membrane damage leading to ubiquitination responses. Absence of Galectin 9 (Gal9) or loss of its capacity to recognize lumenal glycans exposed during lysosomal membrane damage abrogate such ubiquitination responses. Proteomic analyses with APEX2-Gal9 have revealed global changes within the Gal9 interactome during lysosomal damage. Gal9 association with lysosomal glycoproteins increases whereas interactions with a newly identified Gal9 partner, deubiquitinase USP9X, diminishes upon lysosomal injury. In response to damage, Gal9 displaces USP9X from complexes with TAK1 and promotes K63 ubiquitination of TAK1 thus activating AMPK on damaged lysosomes. This triggers autophagy and contributes to autophagic control of membrane-damaging microbe Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thus, galectin and ubiquitin systems converge to activate AMPK and autophagy during endomembrane homeostasis.

Angelman Syndrome.

In this review we summarize the clinical and genetic aspects of Angelman syndrome (AS), its molecular and cellular underpinnings, and current treatment strategies. AS is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe cognitive disability, motor dysfunction, speech impairment, hyperactivity, and frequent seizures. AS is caused by disruption of the maternally expressed and paternally imprinted UBE3A, which encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Four mechanisms that render the maternally inherited UBE3A nonfunctional are recognized, the most common of which is deletion of the maternal chromosomal region 15q11-q13. Remarkably, duplication of the same chromosomal region is one of the few characterized persistent genetic abnormalities associated with autistic spectrum disorder, occurring in >1-2% of all cases of autism spectrum disorder. While the overall morphology of the brain and connectivity of neural projections appear largely normal in AS mouse models, major functional defects are detected at the level of context-dependent learning, as well as impaired maturation of hippocampal and neocortical circuits. While these findings demonstrate a crucial role for ubiquitin protein ligase E3A in synaptic development, the mechanisms by which deficiency of ubiquitin protein ligase E3A leads to AS pathophysiology in humans remain poorly understood. However, recent efforts have shown promise in restoring functions disrupted in AS mice, renewing hope that an effective treatment strategy can be found.

A non-classical assembly pathway of Escherichia coli pore-forming toxin cytolysin A.

Cytolysin A (ClyA) is an α-pore forming toxin from pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella enterica. Here, we report that E. coli ClyA assembles into an oligomeric structure in solution in the absence of either bilayer membranes or detergents at physiological temperature. These oligomers can rearrange to create transmembrane pores when in contact with detergents or biological membranes. Intrinsic fluorescence measurements revealed that oligomers adopted an intermediate state found during the transition between monomer and transmembrane pore. These results indicate that the water-soluble oligomer represents a prepore intermediate state. Furthermore, we show that ClyA does not form transmembrane pores on E. coli lipid membranes. Because ClyA is delivered to the target host cell in an oligomeric conformation within outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), our findings suggest ClyA forms a prepore oligomeric structure independently of the lipid membrane within the OMV. The proposed model for ClyA represents a non-classical pathway to attack eukaryotic host cells.