Diverse cellular stressors have been observed to trigger site-specific ubiquitination on several ribosomal proteins. However, the ubiquitin ligases, biochemical consequences, and physiologic pathways ...linked to these modifications are not known. Here, we show in mammalian cells that the ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 is required for ribosomes to terminally stall during translation of poly(A) sequences. ZNF598-mediated stalling initiated the ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathway for degradation of nascent truncated proteins. Biochemical ubiquitination reactions identified two sites of mono-ubiquitination on the 40S protein eS10 as the primary ribosomal target of ZNF598. Cells lacking ZNF598 activity or containing ubiquitination-resistant eS10 ribosomes failed to stall efficiently on poly(A) sequences. In the absence of stalling, read-through of poly(A) produces a poly-lysine tag, which might alter the localization and solubility of the associated protein. Thus, ribosome ubiquitination can modulate translation elongation and impacts co-translational quality control to minimize production of aberrant proteins.
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•Poly(A), not poly-basic tracts, are the main trigger of ribosome stalling in mammals•The ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 is required to stall ribosomes during poly(A) translation•ZNF598 primarily mono-ubiquitinates two lysines on the 40S ribosomal protein eS10•ZNF598 deletion or mutation of its eS10 target permits increased poly(A) translation
Juszkiewicz and Hegde report that ZNF598 mono-ubiquitinates ribosomal protein eS10 to stall translation on poly(A) sequences. Stalling precludes synthesis of a long poly-lysine tail, instead initiating the ribosome-associated quality control pathway to degrade the potentially detrimental aberrant nascent polypeptide.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Many nascent proteins are assembled into multiprotein complexes of defined stoichiometry. Imbalances in the synthesis of individual subunits result in orphans. How orphans are selectively eliminated ...to maintain protein homeostasis is poorly understood. Here, we found that the conserved ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2O directly recognized juxtaposed basic and hydrophobic patches on unassembled proteins to mediate ubiquitination without a separate ubiquitin ligase. In reticulocytes, where UBE2O is highly up-regulated, unassembled α-globin molecules that failed to assemble with β-globin were selectively ubiquitinated by UBE2O. In nonreticulocytes, ribosomal proteins that did not engage nuclear import factors were targets for UBE2O. Thus, UBE2O is a self-contained quality control factor that comprises substrate recognition and ubiquitin transfer activities within a single protein to efficiently target orphans of multiprotein complexes for degradation.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Translation of aberrant mRNAs can cause ribosomes to stall, leading to collisions with trailing ribosomes. Collided ribosomes are specifically recognised by ZNF598 to initiate protein and mRNA ...quality control pathways. Here we found using quantitative proteomics of collided ribosomes that EDF1 is a ZNF598-independent sensor of ribosome collisions. EDF1 stabilises GIGYF2 at collisions to inhibit translation initiation in cis via 4EHP. The GIGYF2 axis acts independently of the ZNF598 axis, but each pathway's output is more pronounced without the other. We propose that the widely conserved and highly abundant EDF1 monitors the transcriptome for excessive ribosome density, then triggers a GIGYF2-mediated response to locally and temporarily reduce ribosome loading. Only when collisions persist is translation abandoned to initiate ZNF598-dependent quality control. This tiered response to ribosome collisions would allow cells to dynamically tune translation rates while ensuring fidelity of the resulting protein products.
Mammals encode ∼5,000 integral membrane proteins that need to be inserted in a defined topology at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by mechanisms that are incompletely understood. Here, we ...found that efficient biogenesis of β1-adrenergic receptor (β1AR) and other G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) requires the conserved ER membrane protein complex (EMC). Reconstitution studies of β1AR biogenesis narrowed the EMC requirement to the co-translational insertion of the first transmembrane domain (TMD). Without EMC, a proportion of TMD1 inserted in an inverted orientation or failed altogether. Purified EMC and SRP receptor were sufficient for correctly oriented TMD1 insertion, while the Sec61 translocon was necessary for insertion of the next TMD. Enforcing TMD1 topology with an N-terminal signal peptide bypassed the EMC requirement for insertion in vitro and restored efficient biogenesis of multiple GPCRs in EMC-knockout cells. Thus, EMC inserts TMDs co-translationally and cooperates with the Sec61 translocon to ensure accurate topogenesis of many membrane proteins.
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•Efficient biogenesis of many GPCRs requires EMC, the ER membrane protein complex•Without EMC, correct topology and insertion of the first transmembrane domain fails•Purified EMC is sufficient for insertion of the first transmembrane domain of GPCRs•The Sec61 complex is required for insertion of subsequent transmembrane domains
The ER membrane protein complex helps establish the topology of many multipass transmembrane proteins, including GPCRs, by guiding insertion of the first transmembrane domain in the correct orientation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Approximately 25% of eukaryotic genes code for integral membrane proteins that are assembled at the endoplasmic reticulum. An abundant and widely conserved multi-protein complex termed EMC has been ...implicated in membrane protein biogenesis, but its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we define the composition and architecture of human EMC using biochemical assays, crystallography of individual subunits, site-specific photocrosslinking, and cryo-EM reconstruction. Our results suggest that EMC's cytosolic domain contains a large, moderately hydrophobic vestibule that can bind a substrate's transmembrane domain (TMD). The cytosolic vestibule leads into a lumenally-sealed, lipid-exposed intramembrane groove large enough to accommodate a single substrate TMD. A gap between the cytosolic vestibule and intramembrane groove provides a potential path for substrate egress from EMC. These findings suggest how EMC facilitates energy-independent membrane insertion of TMDs, explain why only short lumenal domains are translocated by EMC, and constrain models of EMC's proposed chaperone function.
Faulty or damaged messenger RNAs are detected by the cell when translating ribosomes stall during elongation and trigger pathways of mRNA decay, nascent protein degradation and ribosome recycling. ...The most common mRNA defect in eukaryotes is probably inappropriate polyadenylation at near-cognate sites within the coding region. How ribosomes stall selectively when they encounter poly(A) is unclear. Here, we use biochemical and structural approaches in mammalian systems to show that poly-lysine, encoded by poly(A), favors a peptidyl-transfer RNA conformation suboptimal for peptide bond formation. This conformation partially slows elongation, permitting poly(A) mRNA in the ribosome's decoding center to adopt a ribosomal RNA-stabilized single-stranded helix. The reconfigured decoding center clashes with incoming aminoacyl-tRNA, thereby precluding elongation. Thus, coincidence detection of poly-lysine in the exit tunnel and poly(A) in the decoding center allows ribosomes to detect aberrant mRNAs selectively, stall elongation and trigger downstream quality control pathways essential for cellular homeostasis.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway senses cytosolic DNA and induces interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) to activate the innate immune system. Here, we ...report the unexpected discovery that cGAS also senses dysfunctional protein production. Purified ribosomes interact directly with cGAS and stimulate its DNA-dependent activity in vitro. Disruption of the ribosome-associated protein quality control (RQC) pathway, which detects and resolves ribosome collision during translation, results in cGAS-dependent ISG expression and causes re-localization of cGAS from the nucleus to the cytosol. Indeed, cGAS preferentially binds collided ribosomes in vitro, and orthogonal perturbations that result in elevated levels of collided ribosomes and RQC activation cause sub-cellular re-localization of cGAS and ribosome binding in vivo as well. Thus, translation stress potently increases DNA-dependent cGAS activation. These findings have implications for the inflammatory response to viral infection and tumorigenesis, both of which substantially reprogram cellular protein synthesis.
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•RQC factors involved in disassembling collided ribosomes suppress the cGAS pathway•Ribosomes interact with cGAS, stimulating its DNA-dependent activity•cGAS preferentially interacts with collided ribosomes•Ribosome collision leads to re-localization of cGAS to the cytosol and ISG activation
Wan et al. show that cGAS, a well-known DNA sensor, can also sense translation stress by direct interaction with ribosomes, which in turn induces accumulation of cGAS in the cytosol, stimulation of its DNA-dependent catalytic activity, and activation of innate immunity signaling via ISG activation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The billions of proteins inside a eukaryotic cell are organized among dozens of sub-cellular compartments, within which they are further organized into protein complexes. The maintenance of both ...levels of organization is crucial for normal cellular function. Newly made proteins that fail to be segregated to the correct compartment or assembled into the appropriate complex are defined as orphans. In this review, we discuss the challenges faced by a cell of minimizing orphaned proteins, the quality control systems that recognize orphans, and the consequences of excess orphans for protein homeostasis and disease.
A cell’s proteins are organized within numerous sub-cellular compartments and multi-protein complexes. This review discusses how cells recognize and degrade “orphan” proteins that fail to be segregated to the correct compartment or assembled into the appropriate complex. These quality control pathways are crucial for maintaining protein homeostasis and avoiding disease.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Aberrantly slow translation elicits quality control pathways initiated by the ubiquitin ligase ZNF598. How ZNF598 discriminates physiologic from pathologic translation complexes and ubiquitinates ...stalled ribosomes selectively is unclear. Here, we find that the minimal unit engaged by ZNF598 is the collided di-ribosome, a molecular species that arises when a trailing ribosome encounters a slower leading ribosome. The collided di-ribosome structure reveals an extensive 40S-40S interface in which the ubiquitination targets of ZNF598 reside. The paucity of 60S interactions allows for different ribosome rotation states, explaining why ZNF598 recognition is indifferent to how the leading ribosome has stalled. The use of ribosome collisions as a proxy for stalling allows the degree of tolerable slowdown to be tuned by the initiation rate on that mRNA; hence, the threshold for triggering quality control is substrate specific. These findings illustrate how higher-order ribosome architecture can be exploited by cellular factors to monitor translation status.
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•ZNF598 is a direct sensor of ribosome collisions incurred by many unrelated causes•The minimal target recognized and ubiquitinated by ZNF598 is a collided di-ribosome•Collided di-ribosome structure shows that ZNF598 ubiquitin sites are near the interface•Collisions are required to terminally arrest translation in ZNF598-dependent manner
Cells contain millions of ribosomes that need to translate mRNAs accurately to maintain homeostasis. Ribosomes that slow excessively during translation must be promptly resolved to avoid disease. Juszkiewicz et al. show that ribosome collisions, a sign of aberrant translation, are detected by the ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 to initiate quality control.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Many nascent proteins are assembled into multi-protein complexes of defined stoichiometry. Imbalances in the synthesis of individual subunits result in orphans. How orphans are selectively eliminated ...to maintain protein homeostasis is poorly understood. Here, we found that the conserved ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2O directly recognized juxtaposed basic and hydrophobic patches on unassembled proteins to mediate ubiquitination without a separate ubiquitin ligase. In reticulocytes, where UBE2O is highly upregulated, unassembled α-globin molecules that failed to assemble with β-globin were selectively ubiquitinated by UBE2O. In non-reticulocytes, ribosomal proteins that did not engage nuclear import factors were targets for UBE2O. Thus, UBE2O is a self-contained quality control factor that contains substrate recognition and ubiquitin transfer activities within a single protein to efficiently target orphans of multi-protein complexes for degradation.
Full text
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK