The antibiotic robenidine exhibits guanabenz-like cytoprotective properties by a mechanism independent of protein phosphatase PP1:PPP1R15A.

The aminoguanidine compound robenidine is widely used as an antibiotic for the control of coccidiosis, a protozoal infection in poultry and rabbits. Interestingly, robenidine is structurally similar to guanabenz (analogs), which are currently undergoing clinical trials as cytoprotective agents for the management of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we show that robenidine and guanabenz protect cells from a tunicamycin-induced unfolded protein response to a similar degree. Both compounds also reduced the tumor necrosis factor α-induced activation of NF-κB. The cytoprotective effects of guanabenz (analogs) have been explained previously by their ability to maintain eIF2α phosphorylation by allosterically inhibiting protein phosphatase PP1:PPP1R15A. However, using a novel split-luciferase-based protein-protein interaction assay, we demonstrate here that neither robenidine nor guanabenz disrupt the interaction between PPP1R15A and either PP1 or eIF2α in intact cells. Moreover, both drugs also inhibited the unfolded protein response in cells that expressed a nonphosphorylatable mutant (S51A) of eIF2α. Our results identify robenidine as a PP1:PPP1R15A-independent cytoprotective compound that holds potential for the management of protein misfolding-associated diseases.

A Sephin1-insensitive tripartite holophosphatase dephosphorylates translation initiation factor 2α.

The integrated stress response (ISR) is regulated by kinases that phosphorylate the α subunit of translation initiation factor 2 and phosphatases that dephosphorylate it. Genetic and biochemical observations indicate that the eIF2αP-directed holophosphatase, a therapeutic target in diseases of protein misfolding, is comprised of a regulatory subunit, PPP1R15, and a catalytic subunit, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). In mammals, there are two isoforms of the regulatory subunit, PPP1R15A and PPP1R15B, with overlapping roles in the essential function of eIF2αP dephosphorylation. However, conflicting reports have appeared regarding the requirement for an additional co-factor, G-actin, in enabling substrate-specific dephosphorylation by PPP1R15-containing PP1 holoenzymes. An additional concern relates to the sensitivity of the holoenzyme to the [(o-chlorobenzylidene)amino]guanidines Sephin1 or guanabenz, putative small-molecule proteostasis modulators. It has been suggested that the source and method of purification of the PP1 catalytic subunit and the presence or absence of an N-terminal repeat-containing region in the PPP1R15A regulatory subunit might influence the requirement for G-actin and sensitivity of the holoenzyme to inhibitors. We found that eIF2αP dephosphorylation by PP1 was moderately stimulated by repeat-containing PPP1R15A in an unphysiological low ionic strength buffer, whereas stimulation imparted by the co-presence of PPP1R15A and G-actin was observed under a broad range of conditions, low and physiological ionic strength, regardless of whether the PPP1R15A regulatory subunit had or lacked the N-terminal repeat-containing region and whether it was paired with native PP1 purified from rabbit muscle or recombinant PP1 purified from bacteria. Furthermore, none of the PPP1R15A-containing holophosphatases tested were inhibited by Sephin1 or guanabenz.

Protocol for analyzing protein-protein interactions by split-luciferase complementation assays in human cell lysates.

Here, we present a lysate-based split-luciferase assay for examining protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in HEK293T cell lysates, exemplified by interactions between subunits of protein phosphatase PP1. We describe steps for storing and re-using lysates, sensor design, assay setup/optimization, and high-throughput screening of compound libraries. We then detail procedures for applying the assay as a research tool to characterize the dynamics of PPIs, which we illustrate with specific examples. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Claes and Bollen.1.

Spontaneous and chaperone-assisted metal loading in the active site of protein phosphatase-1.

Protein phosphatase PP1 has two active-site metals (Zn2+/Fe2+) that are essential for catalysis. However, when expressed in bacteria, PP1 has two Mn2+-ions in its active site, indicating that the incorporation of Zn2+/Fe2+ depends on additional eukaryotic component(s). Here, we used purified, metal-deficient PP1 to study metal incorporation. Fe2+ was incorporated spontaneously, but Zn2+ was not. Mn2+-incorporation at physiological pH depended on the co-expression of PP1 with PPP1R2 (Inhibitor-2) or PPP1R11 (Inhibitor-3), or a pre-incubation of PP1 at pH 4. We also demonstrate that PPP1R2 and PPP1R11 are Zn2+-binding proteins but are, by themselves, not able to load PP1 with Zn2+. Our data suggest that PPP1R2 and PPP1R11 function as metal chaperones for PP1 but depend on co-chaperone(s) and/or specific modification(s) for the transfer of associated Zn2+ to PP1.

DNA damage-induced allosteric activation of protein phosphatase PP1:NIPP1 through Src kinase-induced circularization of NIPP1.

Protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) complexed to nuclear inhibitor of PP1 (NIPP1) limits DNA repair through dephosphorylation of NIPP1-recruited substrates. However, the PP1:NIPP1 holoenzyme is completely inactive under basal conditions, hinting at a DNA damage-regulated activation mechanism. Here, we report that DNA damage caused the activation of PP1:NIPP1 after a time delay of several hours through phosphorylation of NIPP1 at the C-terminal tyrosine 335 (Y335) by a Src-family kinase. PP1:NIPP1 activation partially resulted from the dissociation of the C terminus of NIPP1 from the active site of PP1. In addition, the released Y335-phosphorylated C terminus interacted with the N terminus of NIPP1 to enhance substrate recruitment by the flanking forkhead-associated (FHA) domain. Constitutive activation of PP1:NIPP1 by knock-in of a phospho-mimicking (Y335E) NIPP1 mutant led to the hypo-phosphorylation of FHA ligands and an accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks. Our data indicate that PP1:NIPP1 activation through circularization of NIPP1 is a late response to DNA damage that contributes to the timely recovery from damage repair.

SDS22 coordinates the assembly of holoenzymes from nascent protein phosphatase-1.

SDS22 forms an inactive complex with nascent protein phosphatase PP1 and Inhibitor-3. SDS22:PP1:Inhibitor-3 is a substrate for the ATPase p97/VCP, which liberates PP1 for binding to canonical regulatory subunits. The exact role of SDS22 in PP1-holoenzyme assembly remains elusive. Here, we show that SDS22 stabilizes nascent PP1. In the absence of SDS22, PP1 is gradually lost, resulting in substrate hyperphosphorylation and a proliferation arrest. Similarly, we identify a female individual with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder bearing an unstable SDS22 mutant, associated with decreased PP1 levels. We furthermore find that SDS22 directly binds to Inhibitor-3 and that this is essential for the stable assembly of SDS22:PP1: Inhibitor-3, the recruitment of p97/VCP, and the extraction of SDS22 during holoenzyme assembly. SDS22 with a disabled Inhibitor-3 binding site co-transfers with PP1 to canonical regulatory subunits, thereby forming non-functional holoenzymes. Our data show that SDS22, through simultaneous interaction with PP1 and Inhibitor-3, integrates the major steps of PP1 holoenzyme assembly.

A split-luciferase lysate-based approach to identify small-molecule modulators of phosphatase subunit interactions.

An emerging strategy for the therapeutic targeting of protein phosphatases involves the use of compounds that interfere with the binding of regulatory subunits or substrates. However, high-throughput screening strategies for such interfering molecules are scarce. Here, we report on the conversion of the NanoBiT split-luciferase system into a robust assay for the quantification of phosphatase subunit and substrate interactions in cell lysates. The assay is suitable to screen small-molecule libraries for interfering compounds. We designed and validated split-luciferase sensors for a broad range of PP1 and PP2A holoenzymes, including sensors that selectively report on weak interaction sites. To facilitate efficient hit triaging in large-scale screening campaigns, deselection procedures were developed to eliminate assay-interfering molecules with high fidelity. As a proof-of-principle, we successfully applied the split-luciferase screening tool to identify small-molecule disruptors of the interaction between the C-terminus of PP1ß and the ankyrin-repeat domain of the myosin-phosphatase targeting subunit MYPT1.