RESUMO
The ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathway resolves stalled ribosomes. As part of RQC, stalled nascent polypeptide chains (NCs) are appended with CArboxy-Terminal amino acids (CAT tails) in an mRNA-free, non-canonical elongation process. CAT tail composition includes Ala, Thr, and potentially other residues. The relationship between CAT tail composition and function has remained unknown. Using biochemical approaches in yeast, we discovered that mechanochemical forces on the NC regulate CAT tailing. We propose CAT tailing initially operates in an "extrusion mode" that increases NC lysine accessibility for on-ribosome ubiquitination. Thr in CAT tails enhances NC extrusion by preventing formation of polyalanine, which can form α-helices. After NC ubiquitylation, pulling forces on the NC switch CAT tailing to an Ala-only "release mode" which facilitates nascent chain release from large ribosomal subunits and NC degradation. Failure to switch from extrusion to release mode leads to accumulation of NCs on large ribosomal subunits and proteotoxic aggregation of Thr-rich CAT tails.
RESUMO
Huang et al. (2021) show that proteins containing aspartate- and glutamate-rich stretches represent a putative new class of ATP-independent molecular chaperones that operate on diverse client proteins in vitro and protect bona fide interactors against aggregation in cells.
Assuntos
Chaperonas Moleculares , HumanosRESUMO
Stalled protein synthesis produces defective nascent chains that can harm cells. In response, cells degrade these nascent chains via a process called ribosome-associated quality control (RQC). Here, we review the irregularities in the translation process that cause ribosomes to stall as well as how cells use RQC to detect stalled ribosomes, ubiquitylate their tethered nascent chains, and deliver the ubiquitylated nascent chains to the proteasome. We additionally summarize how cells respond to RQC failure.
Assuntos
Escherichia coli/genética , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma/metabolismo , Biossíntese de Proteínas , Processamento de Proteína Pós-Traducional , Ribossomos/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Poli A/química , Poli A/genética , Poli A/metabolismo , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma/genética , Ligação Proteica , Domínios e Motivos de Interação entre Proteínas , Estrutura Secundária de Proteína , Proteólise , Splicing de RNA , Estabilidade de RNA , Ribossomos/metabolismo , Ribossomos/ultraestrutura , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/química , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismo , UbiquitinaçãoRESUMO
The Ribosome-associated Quality Control (RQC) pathway co-translationally marks incomplete polypeptides from stalled translation with two signals that trigger their proteasome-mediated degradation. The E3 ligase Ltn1 adds ubiquitin and Rqc2 directs the large ribosomal subunit to append carboxy-terminal alanine and threonine residues (CAT tails). When excessive amounts of incomplete polypeptides evade Ltn1, CAT-tailed proteins accumulate and can self-associate into aggregates. CAT tail aggregation has been hypothesized to either protect cells by sequestering potentially toxic incomplete polypeptides or harm cells by disrupting protein homeostasis. To distinguish between these possibilities, we modulated CAT tail aggregation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with genetic and chemical tools to analyze CAT tails in aggregated and un-aggregated states. We found that enhancing CAT tail aggregation induces proteotoxic stress and antagonizes degradation of CAT-tailed proteins, while inhibiting aggregation reverses these effects. Our findings suggest that CAT tail aggregation harms RQC-compromised cells and that preventing aggregation can mitigate this toxicity.
Assuntos
Peptídeos/genética , Biossíntese de Proteínas , Proteínas de Ligação a RNA/genética , Ribossomos/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/genética , Alanina/genética , DNA Polimerase III/genética , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma/genética , Proteólise , RNA de Transferência/genética , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Treonina/genética , Ubiquitina/genéticaRESUMO
Stalled translation produces incomplete, ribosome-tethered polypeptides that the ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathway targets for degradation via the E3 ubiquitin ligase Ltn1. During this process, the protein Rqc2 and the large ribosomal subunit elongate stalled polypeptides with carboxy-terminal alanine and threonine residues (CAT tails). Failure to degrade CAT-tailed proteins disrupts global protein homeostasis, as CAT-tailed proteins can aggregate and sequester chaperones. Why cells employ such a potentially toxic process during RQC is unclear. Here, we developed quantitative techniques to assess how CAT tails affect stalled polypeptide degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that CAT tails enhance the efficiency of Ltn1 in targeting structured polypeptides, which are otherwise poor Ltn1 substrates. If Ltn1 fails to ubiquitylate those stalled polypeptides or becomes limiting, CAT tails act as degrons, marking proteins for proteasomal degradation off the ribosome. Thus, CAT tails functionalize the carboxy termini of stalled polypeptides to drive their degradation on and off the ribosome.
Assuntos
Peptídeos/metabolismo , Ribossomos/metabolismo , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismo , Alanina/química , Alanina/metabolismo , Peptídeos/química , Biossíntese de Proteínas , Proteólise , Proteínas de Ligação a RNA/metabolismo , Especificidade por Substrato , Treonina/química , Treonina/metabolismoRESUMO
Premature arrest of protein synthesis within the open reading frame elicits a protective response that degrades the incomplete nascent chain. In this response, arrested 80S ribosomes are split into their large and small subunits, allowing assembly of the ribosome quality control complex (RQC), which targets nascent chains for degradation. How the cell recognizes arrested nascent chains among the vast pool of actively translating polypeptides is poorly understood. We systematically examined translation arrest and modification of nascent chains in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to characterize the steps that couple arrest to RQC targeting. We focused our analysis on two poorly understood 80S ribosome-binding proteins previously implicated in the response to failed translation, Asc1 and Hel2, as well as a new component of the pathway, Slh1, that we identified here. We found that premature arrest at ribosome stalling sequences still occurred robustly in the absence of Asc1, Hel2, and Slh1. However, these three factors were required for the RQC to modify the nascent chain. We propose that Asc1, Hel2, and Slh1 target arresting ribosomes and that this targeting event is a precondition for the RQC to engage the incomplete nascent chain and facilitate its degradation.