2024年 新着論文 10 細胞情報学分野から論文が発表されました

Ubiquitin-Derived Fragment as a Peptide Linker for the Efficient Cleavage of a Target Protein from a Degron

ACS Chem Biol. 2024 Feb 16;19(2):497-505. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00670. Epub 2024 Jan 25.

Authors

Yuki Utsugi  1 Ken Nishimura  2 Satoshi Yamanaka  3 Kohei Nishino  4 Hidetaka Kosako  4 Tatsuya Sawasaki  5 Hideyuki Shigemori  6   7 Thomas J Wandless  8 Yusaku Miyamae  6

Affiliations

  • 1 Doctoral Program in Life Science Innovation, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
  • 2 Laboratory of Gene Regulation, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
  • 3 Division of Proteo-Interactome, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyocho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
  • 4 Division of Cell Signaling, Fujii Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
  • 5 Division of Cell-Free Life Science, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyocho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
  • 6 Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
  • 7 Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
  • 8 Department of Chemical & Systems Biology, Stanford University, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, California 94305, United States.

Abstract

The chemogenetic control of cellular protein stability using degron tags is a powerful experimental strategy in biomedical research. However, this technique requires permanent fusion of the degron to a target protein, which may interfere with the proper function of the protein. Here, we report a peptide fragment from the carboxyl terminus of ubiquitin as a cleavable linker that exhibits the slow but efficient cleavage of a degron tag via cellular deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). We designed a fusion protein consisting of a cleavable linker and a destabilizing domain (DD), which conditionally controls the expression and release of a target protein in a ligand-induced state, allowing the free unmodified protein to perform its function. Insertion of an AGIA epitope at the carboxyl terminus of the linker made space for the DUBs to access the site to assist the cleavage reaction when the amino terminus of the target protein caused steric hindrance. The developed system, termed a cleavable degron using ubiquitin-derived linkers (c-DUB), provides robust and tunable regulation of target proteins in their native forms. The c-DUB system is a useful tool for the regulation of proteins that have terminal sites that are essential for the proper localization and function. In addition, a mechanistic investigation using proximity labeling showed that DUBs associate with the refolded DD to reverse ubiquitination, suggesting a cellular surveillance system for distinguishing the refolded DD from misfolded proteins. The c-DUB method may benefit from this machinery so that DUBs subsequently cleave the neighboring linker.

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