Rift Valley fever virus coordinates the assembly of a programmable E3 ligase to promote viral replication.

Viruses encode strategies to degrade cellular proteins to promote infection and pathogenesis. Here, we revealed that the non-structural protein NSs of Rift Valley fever virus forms a filamentous E3 ligase to trigger efficient degradation of targeted proteins. Reconstitution in vitro and cryoelectron microscopy analysis with the 2.9-Å resolution revealed that NSs forms right-handed helical fibrils. The NSs filamentous oligomers associate with the cellular FBXO3 to form a remodeled E3 ligase. The NSs-FBXO3 E3 ligase targets the cellular TFIIH complex through the NSs-P62 interaction, leading to ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation of the TFIIH complex. NSs-FBXO3-triggered TFIIH complex degradation resulted in robust inhibition of antiviral immunity and promoted viral pathogenesis in vivo. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that NSs can be programmed to target additional proteins for proteasome-dependent degradation, serving as a versatile targeted protein degrader. These results showed that a virulence factor forms a filamentous and programmable degradation machinery to induce organized degradation of cellular proteins to promote viral infection.

Systemwide disassembly and assembly of SCF ubiquitin ligase complexes.

Cells respond to environmental cues by remodeling their inventories of multiprotein complexes. Cellular repertoires of SCF (SKP1-CUL1-F box protein) ubiquitin ligase complexes, which mediate much protein degradation, require CAND1 to distribute the limiting CUL1 subunit across the family of ∼70 different F box proteins. Yet, how a single factor coordinately assembles numerous distinct multiprotein complexes remains unknown. We obtained cryo-EM structures of CAND1-bound SCF complexes in multiple states and correlated mutational effects on structures, biochemistry, and cellular assays. The data suggest that CAND1 clasps idling catalytic domains of an inactive SCF, rolls around, and allosterically rocks and destabilizes the SCF. New SCF production proceeds in reverse, through SKP1-F box allosterically destabilizing CAND1. The CAND1-SCF conformational ensemble recycles CUL1 from inactive complexes, fueling mixing and matching of SCF parts for E3 activation in response to substrate availability. Our data reveal biogenesis of a predominant family of E3 ligases, and the molecular basis for systemwide multiprotein complex assembly.

Mechanism of orphan subunit recognition during assembly quality control.

Cells contain numerous abundant molecular machines assembled from multiple subunits. Imbalances in subunit production and failed assembly generate orphan subunits that are eliminated by poorly defined pathways. Here, we determined how orphan subunits of the cytosolic chaperonin CCT are recognized. Several unassembled CCT subunits recruited the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC2 using ZNRD2 as an adaptor. Both factors were necessary for orphan CCT subunit degradation in cells, sufficient for CCT subunit ubiquitination with purified factors, and necessary for optimal cell fitness. Domain mapping and structure prediction defined the molecular features of a minimal HERC2-ZNRD2-CCT module. The structural model, whose key elements were validated in cells using point mutants, shows why ZNRD2 selectively recognizes multiple orphaned CCT subunits without engaging assembled CCT. Our findings reveal how failures during CCT assembly are monitored and provide a paradigm for the molecular recognition of orphan subunits, the largest source of quality control substrates in cells.

An E3 ligase network engages GCN1 to promote the degradation of translation factors on stalled ribosomes.

Ribosomes frequently stall during mRNA translation, resulting in the context-dependent activation of quality control pathways to maintain proteostasis. However, surveillance mechanisms that specifically respond to stalled ribosomes with an occluded A site have not been identified. We discovered that the elongation factor-1α (eEF1A) inhibitor, ternatin-4, triggers the ubiquitination and degradation of eEF1A on stalled ribosomes. Using a chemical genetic approach, we unveiled a signaling network comprising two E3 ligases, RNF14 and RNF25, which are required for eEF1A degradation. Quantitative proteomics revealed the RNF14 and RNF25-dependent ubiquitination of eEF1A and a discrete set of ribosomal proteins. The ribosome collision sensor GCN1 plays an essential role by engaging RNF14, which directly ubiquitinates eEF1A. The site-specific, RNF25-dependent ubiquitination of the ribosomal protein RPS27A/eS31 provides a second essential signaling input. Our findings illuminate a ubiquitin signaling network that monitors the ribosomal A site and promotes the degradation of stalled translation factors, including eEF1A and the termination factor eRF1.

Driving E3 Ligase Substrate Specificity for Targeted Protein Degradation: Lessons from Nature and the Laboratory.

Methods to direct the degradation of protein targets with proximity-inducing molecules that coopt the cellular degradation machinery are advancing in leaps and bounds, and diverse modalities are emerging. The most used and well-studied approach is to hijack E3 ligases of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. E3 ligases use specific molecular recognition to determine which proteins in the cell are ubiquitinated and degraded. This review focuses on the structural determinants of E3 ligase recruitment of natural substrates and neo-substrates obtained through monovalent molecular glues and bivalent proteolysis-targeting chimeras. We use structures to illustrate the different types of substrate recognition and assess the basis for neo-protein-protein interactions in ternary complex structures. The emerging structural and mechanistic complexity is reflective of the diverse physiological roles of protein ubiquitination. This molecular insight is also guiding the application of structure-based design approaches to the development of new and existing degraders as chemical tools and therapeutics.

Cullin-RING Ubiquitin Ligase Regulatory Circuits: A Quarter Century Beyond the F-Box Hypothesis.

Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) are dynamic modular platforms that regulate myriad biological processes through target-specific ubiquitylation. Our knowledge of this system emerged from the F-box hypothesis, posited a quarter century ago: Numerous interchangeable F-box proteins confer specific substrate recognition for a core CUL1-based RING E3 ubiquitin ligase. This paradigm has been expanded through the evolution of a superfamily of analogous modular CRLs, with five major families and over 200 different substrate-binding receptors in humans. Regulation is achieved by numerous factors organized in circuits that dynamically control CRL activation and substrate ubiquitylation. CRLs also serve as a vast landscape for developing small molecules that reshape interactions and promote targeted ubiquitylation-dependent turnover of proteins of interest. Here, we review molecular principles underlying CRL function, the role of allosteric and conformational mechanisms in controlling substrate timing and ubiquitylation, and how the dynamics of substrate receptor interchange drives the turnover of selected target proteins to promote cellular decision-making.

TRIM7 inhibits enterovirus replication and promotes emergence of a viral variant with increased pathogenicity.

To control viral infection, vertebrates rely on both inducible interferon responses and less well-characterized cell-intrinsic responses composed of "at the ready" antiviral effector proteins. Here, we show that E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM7 is a cell-intrinsic antiviral effector that restricts multiple human enteroviruses by targeting viral 2BC, a membrane remodeling protein, for ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation. Selective pressure exerted by TRIM7 results in emergence of a TRIM7-resistant coxsackievirus with a single point mutation in the viral 2C ATPase/helicase. In cultured cells, the mutation helps the virus evade TRIM7 but impairs optimal viral replication, and this correlates with a hyperactive and structurally plastic 2C ATPase. Unexpectedly, the TRIM7-resistant virus has a replication advantage in mice and causes lethal pancreatitis. These findings reveal a unique mechanism for targeting enterovirus replication and provide molecular insight into the benefits and trade-offs of viral evolution imposed by a host restriction factor.

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

Despite remarkable clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in cancer treatment, ICB benefits for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain limited. Through pooled in vivo CRISPR knockout (KO) screens in syngeneic TNBC mouse models, we found that deletion of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cop1 in cancer cells decreases secretion of macrophage-associated chemokines, reduces tumor macrophage infiltration, enhances anti-tumor immunity, and strengthens ICB response. Transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics analyses revealed that Cop1 functions through proteasomal degradation of the C/ebpδ protein. The Cop1 substrate Trib2 functions as a scaffold linking Cop1 and C/ebpδ, which leads to polyubiquitination of C/ebpδ. In addition, deletion of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cop1 in cancer cells stabilizes C/ebpδ to suppress expression of macrophage chemoattractant genes. Our integrated approach implicates Cop1 as a target for improving cancer immunotherapy efficacy in TNBC by regulating chemokine secretion and macrophage infiltration in the tumor microenvironment.

Pathogenic ubiquitination of GSDMB inhibits NK cell bactericidal functions.

Gasdermin B (GSDMB) belongs to a large family of pore-forming cytolysins that execute inflammatory cell death programs. While genetic studies have linked GSDMB polymorphisms to human disease, its function in the immunological response to pathogens remains poorly understood. Here, we report a dynamic host-pathogen conflict between GSDMB and the IpaH7.8 effector protein secreted by enteroinvasive Shigella flexneri. We show that IpaH7.8 ubiquitinates and targets GSDMB for 26S proteasome destruction. This virulence strategy protects Shigella from the bacteriocidic activity of natural killer cells by suppressing granzyme-A-mediated activation of GSDMB. In contrast to the canonical function of most gasdermin family members, GSDMB does not inhibit Shigella by lysing host cells. Rather, it exhibits direct microbiocidal activity through recognition of phospholipids found on Gram-negative bacterial membranes. These findings place GSDMB as a central executioner of intracellular bacterial killing and reveal a mechanism employed by pathogens to counteract this host defense system.

Mapping the Degradable Kinome Provides a Resource for Expedited Degrader Development.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) refers to the use of small molecules to induce ubiquitin-dependent degradation of proteins. TPD is of interest in drug development, as it can address previously inaccessible targets. However, degrader discovery and optimization remains an inefficient process due to a lack of understanding of the relative importance of the key molecular events required to induce target degradation. Here, we use chemo-proteomics to annotate the degradable kinome. Our expansive dataset provides chemical leads for ∼200 kinases and demonstrates that the current practice of starting from the highest potency binder is an ineffective method for discovering active compounds. We develop multitargeted degraders to answer fundamental questions about the ubiquitin proteasome system, uncovering that kinase degradation is p97 dependent. This work will not only fuel kinase degrader discovery, but also provides a blueprint for evaluating targeted degradation across entire gene families to accelerate understanding of TPD beyond the kinome.

Formation of NPR1 Condensates Promotes Cell Survival during the Plant Immune Response.

In plants, pathogen effector-triggered immunity (ETI) often leads to programmed cell death, which is restricted by NPR1, an activator of systemic acquired resistance. However, the biochemical activities of NPR1 enabling it to promote defense and restrict cell death remain unclear. Here we show that NPR1 promotes cell survival by targeting substrates for ubiquitination and degradation through formation of salicylic acid-induced NPR1 condensates (SINCs). SINCs are enriched with stress response proteins, including nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat immune receptors, oxidative and DNA damage response proteins, and protein quality control machineries. Transition of NPR1 into condensates is required for formation of the NPR1-Cullin 3 E3 ligase complex to ubiquitinate SINC-localized substrates, such as EDS1 and specific WRKY transcription factors, and promote cell survival during ETI. Our analysis of SINCs suggests that NPR1 is centrally integrated into the cell death or survival decisions in plant immunity by modulating multiple stress-responsive processes in this quasi-organelle.

Nrf2 Activation Promotes Lung Cancer Metastasis by Inhibiting the Degradation of Bach1.

Approximately 30% of human lung cancers acquire mutations in either Keap1 or Nfe2l2, resulting in the stabilization of Nrf2, the Nfe2l2 gene product, which controls oxidative homeostasis. Here, we show that heme triggers the degradation of Bach1, a pro-metastatic transcription factor, by promoting its interaction with the ubiquitin ligase Fbxo22. Nrf2 accumulation in lung cancers causes the stabilization of Bach1 by inducing Ho1, the enzyme catabolizing heme. In mouse models of lung cancers, loss of Keap1 or Fbxo22 induces metastasis in a Bach1-dependent manner. Pharmacological inhibition of Ho1 suppresses metastasis in a Fbxo22-dependent manner. Human metastatic lung cancer display high levels of Ho1 and Bach1. Bach1 transcriptional signature is associated with poor survival and metastasis in lung cancer patients. We propose that Nrf2 activates a metastatic program by inhibiting the heme- and Fbxo22-mediated degradation of Bach1, and that Ho1 inhibitors represent an effective therapeutic strategy to prevent lung cancer metastasis.

The Eukaryotic Proteome Is Shaped by E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Targeting C-Terminal Degrons.

Degrons are minimal elements that mediate the interaction of proteins with degradation machineries to promote proteolysis. Despite their central role in proteostasis, the number of known degrons remains small, and a facile technology to characterize them is lacking. Using a strategy combining global protein stability (GPS) profiling with a synthetic human peptidome, we identify thousands of peptides containing degron activity. Employing CRISPR screening, we establish that the stability of many proteins is regulated through degrons located at their C terminus. We characterize eight Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complex adaptors that regulate C-terminal degrons, including six CRL2 and two CRL4 complexes, and computationally implicate multiple non-CRLs in end recognition. Proteome analysis revealed that the C termini of eukaryotic proteins are depleted for C-terminal degrons, suggesting an E3-ligase-dependent modulation of proteome composition. Thus, we propose that a series of "C-end rules" operate to govern protein stability and shape the eukaryotic proteome.

Ubiquitin Ligases: Structure, Function, and Regulation.

Ubiquitin E3 ligases control every aspect of eukaryotic biology by promoting protein ubiquitination and degradation. At the end of a three-enzyme cascade, ubiquitin ligases mediate the transfer of ubiquitin from an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme to specific substrate proteins. Early investigations of E3s of the RING (really interesting new gene) and HECT (homologous to the E6AP carboxyl terminus) types shed light on their enzymatic activities, general architectures, and substrate degron-binding modes. Recent studies have provided deeper mechanistic insights into their catalysis, activation, and regulation. In this review, we summarize the current progress in structure-function studies of ubiquitin ligases as well as exciting new discoveries of novel classes of E3s and diverse substrate recognition mechanisms. Our increased understanding of ubiquitin ligase function and regulation has provided the rationale for developing E3-targeting therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases.

Composition and Regulation of the Cellular Repertoire of SCF Ubiquitin Ligases.

SCF (Skp1-Cullin-F-box) ubiquitin ligases comprise several dozen modular enzymes that have diverse roles in biological regulation. SCF enzymes share a common catalytic core containing Cul1⋅Rbx1, which is directed toward different substrates by a variable substrate receptor (SR) module comprising 1 of 69 F-box proteins bound to Skp1. Despite the broad cellular impact of SCF enzymes, important questions remain about the architecture and regulation of the SCF repertoire, including whether SRs compete for Cul1 and, if so, how this competition is managed. Here, we devise methods that preserve the in vivo assemblages of SCF complexes and apply quantitative mass spectrometry to perform a census of these complexes (the "SCFome") in various states. We show that Nedd8 conjugation and the SR exchange factor Cand1 have a profound effect on shaping the SCFome. Together, these factors enable rapid remodeling of SCF complexes to promote biased assembly of SR modules bound to substrate.

Circular Concatemers of Ultra-Short DNA Segments Produce Regulatory RNAs.

In the ciliated protozoan Paramecium tetraurelia, Piwi-associated small RNAs are generated upon the elimination of tens of thousands of short transposon-derived DNA segments as part of development. These RNAs then target complementary DNA for elimination in a positive feedback process, contributing to germline defense and genome stability. In this work, we investigate the formation of these RNAs, which we show to be transcribed directly from the short (length mode 27 bp) excised DNA segments. Our data support a mechanism whereby the concatenation and circularization of excised DNA segments provides a template for RNA production. This process allows the generation of a double-stranded RNA for Dicer-like protein cleavage to give rise to a population of small regulatory RNAs that precisely match the excised DNA sequences. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Ubiquiton-An inducible, linkage-specific polyubiquitylation tool.

The posttranslational modifier ubiquitin regulates most cellular processes. Its ability to form polymeric chains of distinct linkages is key to its diverse functionality. Yet, we still lack the experimental tools to induce linkage-specific polyubiquitylation of a protein of interest in cells. Here, we introduce a set of engineered ubiquitin protein ligases and matching ubiquitin acceptor tags for the rapid, inducible linear (M1-), K48-, or K63-linked polyubiquitylation of proteins in yeast and mammalian cells. By applying the so-called "Ubiquiton" system to proteasomal targeting and the endocytic pathway, we validate this tool for soluble cytoplasmic and nuclear as well as chromatin-associated and integral membrane proteins and demonstrate how it can be used to control the localization and stability of its targets. We expect that the Ubiquiton system will serve as a versatile, broadly applicable research tool to explore the signaling functions of polyubiquitin chains in many biological contexts.

PELI2 is a negative regulator of STING signaling that is dynamically repressed during viral infection.

The innate immune cGAS-STING pathway is activated by cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), a ubiquitous danger signal, to produce interferon, a potent anti-viral and anti-cancer cytokine. However, STING activation must be tightly controlled because aberrant interferon production leads to debilitating interferonopathies. Here, we discover PELI2 as a crucial negative regulator of STING. Mechanistically, PELI2 inhibits the transcription factor IRF3 by binding to phosphorylated Thr354 and Thr356 on the C-terminal tail of STING, leading to ubiquitination and inhibition of the kinase TBK1. PELI2 sets a threshold for STING activation that tolerates low levels of cytosolic dsDNA, such as that caused by silenced TREX1, RNASEH2B, BRCA1, or SETX. When this threshold is reached, such as during viral infection, STING-induced interferon production temporarily downregulates PELI2, creating a positive feedback loop allowing a robust immune response. Lupus patients have insufficient PELI2 levels and high basal interferon production, suggesting that PELI2 dysregulation may drive the onset of lupus and other interferonopathies.

Non-canonical substrate recognition by the human WDR26-CTLH E3 ligase regulates prodrug metabolism.

The yeast glucose-induced degradation-deficient (GID) E3 ubiquitin ligase forms a suite of complexes with interchangeable receptors that selectively recruit N-terminal degron motifs of metabolic enzyme substrates. The orthologous higher eukaryotic C-terminal to LisH (CTLH) E3 complex has been proposed to also recognize substrates through an alternative subunit, WDR26, which promotes the formation of supramolecular CTLH E3 assemblies. Here, we discover that human WDR26 binds the metabolic enzyme nicotinamide/nicotinic-acid-mononucleotide-adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) and mediates its CTLH E3-dependent ubiquitylation independently of canonical GID/CTLH E3-family substrate receptors. The CTLH subunit YPEL5 inhibits NMNAT1 ubiquitylation and cellular turnover by WDR26-CTLH E3, thereby affecting NMNAT1-mediated metabolic activation and cytotoxicity of the prodrug tiazofurin. Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of NMNAT1- and YPEL5-bound WDR26-CTLH E3 complexes reveal an internal basic degron motif of NMNAT1 essential for targeting by WDR26-CTLH E3 and degron mimicry by YPEL5's N terminus antagonizing substrate binding. Thus, our data provide a mechanistic understanding of how YPEL5-WDR26-CTLH E3 acts as a modulator of NMNAT1-dependent metabolism.

Cullin-RING ligases employ geometrically optimized catalytic partners for substrate targeting.

Cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) ubiquitylate specific substrates selected from other cellular proteins. Substrate discrimination and ubiquitin transferase activity were thought to be strictly separated. Substrates are recognized by substrate receptors, such as Fbox or BCbox proteins. Meanwhile, CRLs employ assorted ubiquitin-carrying enzymes (UCEs, which are a collection of E2 and ARIH-family E3s) specialized for either initial substrate ubiquitylation (priming) or forging poly-ubiquitin chains. We discovered specific human CRL-UCE pairings governing substrate priming. The results reveal pairing of CUL2-based CRLs and UBE2R-family UCEs in cells, essential for efficient PROTAC-induced neo-substrate degradation. Despite UBE2R2's intrinsic programming to catalyze poly-ubiquitylation, CUL2 employs this UCE for geometrically precise PROTAC-dependent ubiquitylation of a neo-substrate and for rapid priming of substrates recruited to diverse receptors. Cryo-EM structures illuminate how CUL2-based CRLs engage UBE2R2 to activate substrate ubiquitylation. Thus, pairing with a specific UCE overcomes E2 catalytic limitations to drive substrate ubiquitylation and targeted protein degradation.