Redox requirements for ubiquitin-like urmylation of Ahp1, a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin from yeast.

The yeast peroxiredoxin Ahp1, like related anti-oxidant enzymes in other species, undergoes urmylation, a lysine-directed conjugation to ubiquitin-like modifier Urm1. Ahp1 assembles into a homodimer that detoxifies peroxides via forming intersubunit disulfides between peroxidatic and resolving cysteines that are subsequently reduced by the thioredoxin system. Although urmylation coincides with oxidative stress, it is unclear how this modification happens on a molecular level and whether it affects peroxiredoxin activity. Here, we report that thioredoxin mutants decrease Ahp1 urmylation in yeast and each subunit of the oxidized Ahp1 dimer is modified by Urm1 suggesting coupling of urmylation to dimerization. Consistently, Ahp1 mutants unable to form dimers, fail to be urmylated as do mutants that lack the peroxidatic cysteine. Moreover, Ahp1 urmylation involves at least two lysine residues close to the catalytic cysteines and can be prevented in yeast cells exposed to high organic peroxide concentrations. Our results elucidate redox requirements and molecular determinants critical for Ahp1 urmylation, thus providing insights into a potential link between oxidant defense and Urm1 utilization in cells.

Sulfur transfer and activation by ubiquitin-like modifier system Uba4•Urm1 link protein urmylation and tRNA thiolation in yeast.

Urm1 is a unique dual-function member of the ubiquitin protein family and conserved from yeast to man. It acts both as a protein modifier in ubiquitin-like urmylation and as a sulfur donor for tRNA thiolation, which in concert with the Elongator pathway forms 5-methoxy-carbonyl-methyl-2-thio (mcm5s2) modified wobble uridines (U34) in anticodons. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to study a relationship between these two functions, we examined whether cultivation temperature and sulfur supply previously implicated in the tRNA thiolation branch of the URM1 pathway also contribute to proper urmylation. Monitoring Urm1 conjugation, we found urmylation of the peroxiredoxin Ahp1 is suppressed either at elevated cultivation temperatures or under sulfur starvation. In line with this, mutants with sulfur transfer defects that are linked to enzymes (Tum1, Uba4) required for Urm1 activation by thiocarboxylation (Urm1-COSH) were found to maintain drastically reduced levels of Ahp1 urmylation and mcm5s2U34 modification. Moreover, as revealed by site specific mutagenesis, the S-transfer rhodanese domain (RHD) in the E1-like activator (Uba4) crucial for Urm1-COSH formation is critical but not essential for protein urmylation and tRNA thiolation. In sum, sulfur supply, transfer and activation chemically link protein urmylation and tRNA thiolation. These are features that distinguish the ubiquitin-like modifier system Uba4•Urm1 from canonical ubiquitin family members and will help elucidate whether, in addition to their mechanistic links, the protein and tRNA modification branches of the URM1 pathway may also relate in function to one another.

Urmylation and tRNA thiolation functions of ubiquitin-like Uba4·Urm1 systems are conserved from yeast to man.

The ubiquitin-like protein Urm1 from budding yeast and its E1-like activator Uba4 have dual roles in protein urmylation and tRNA thiolation pathways. To study whether these are conserved among eukaryotes, we used gene shuffles to replace the yeast proteins by their human counterparts, hURM1 and hUBA4/MOCS3. As judged from biochemical and genetical assays, hURM1 and hUBA4 are functional in yeast, albeit at reduced efficiencies. They mediate urmylation of the peroxiredoxin Ahp1, a known urmylation target in yeast, and support tRNA thiolation. Similar to hUBA4, yeast Uba4 itself is modified by Urm1 and hURM1 suggesting target overlap between eukaryal urmylation pathways. In sum, our study shows that dual-function ubiquitin-like Urm1·Uba4 systems are conserved and exchangeable between human and yeast cells.

Loss of wobble uridine modification in tRNA anticodons interferes with TOR pathway signaling.

Previous work in yeast has suggested that modification of tRNAs, in particular uridine bases in the anticodon wobble position (U34), is linked to TOR (target of rapamycin) signaling. Hence, U34 modification mutants were found to be hypersensitive to TOR inhibition by rapamycin. To study whether this involves inappropriate TOR signaling, we examined interaction between mutations in TOR pathway genes (tip41∆, sap190∆, ppm1∆, rrd1∆) and U34 modification defects (elp3∆, kti12∆, urm1∆, ncs2∆) and found the rapamycin hypersensitivity in the latter is epistatic to drug resistance of the former. Epistasis, however, is abolished in tandem with a gln3∆ deletion, which inactivates transcription factor Gln3 required for TOR-sensitive activation of NCR (nitrogen catabolite repression) genes. In line with nuclear import of Gln3 being under control of TOR and dephosphorylation by the Sit4 phosphatase, we identify novel TOR-sensitive sit4 mutations that confer rapamycin resistance and importantly, mislocalise Gln3 when TOR is inhibited. This is similar to gln3∆ cells, which abolish the rapamycin hypersensitivity of U34 modification mutants, and suggests TOR deregulation due to tRNA undermodification operates through Gln3. In line with this, loss of U34 modifications (elp3∆, urm1∆) enhances nuclear import of and NCR gene activation (MEP2, GAP1) by Gln3 when TOR activity is low. Strikingly, this stimulatory effect onto Gln3 is suppressed by overexpression of tRNAs that usually carry the U34 modifications. Collectively, our data suggest that proper TOR signaling requires intact tRNA modifications and that loss of U34 modifications impinges on the TOR-sensitive NCR branch via Gln3 misregulation.