Cdc48 chaperone and adaptor Ubx4 distribute the proteasome in the nucleus for anaphase proteolysis

Metabolomics analysis of an AAA-ATPase Cdc48-deficient yeast strain

The ubiquitin-specific chaperone AAA-ATPase Cdc48 and its orthologs p97/valosin-containing protein (VCP) in mammals play crucial roles in regulating numerous intracellular pathways via segregase activity, which separates polyubiquitinated targets from membranes or binding partners. Interestingly, high-throughput experiments show that a vast number of metabolic enzymes are modified with ubiquitin. Therefore, Cdc48 may regulate metabolic pathways, for example by acting on the polyubiquitin chains of metabolic enzymes; however, the role of Cdc48 in metabolic regulation remains largely unknown. To begin to analyze the role of Cdc48 in metabolic regulation in yeast, we performed a metabolomics analysis of temperature-sensitive cdc48-3 mutant cells. We found that the amount of metabolites in the glycolytic pathway was altered. Moreover, the pool of nucleotides, as well as the levels of metabolites involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, increased, whereas the pool of amino acids decreased. These results suggest the involvement of Cdc48 in metabolic regulation in yeast. In addition, because of the roles of p97/VCP in regulating multiple cellular pathways, its inhibition is being considered as a promising anticancer drug target. We propose that the metabolomics study of Cdc48-deficient yeast will be useful as a complement to p97/VCP-related pathological and therapeutic studies.

Cdc48 influence on separase levels is independent of mitosis and suggests translational sensitivity of separase

Cdc48 (p97/VCP) is a AAA-ATPase that can extract ubiquitinated proteins from their binding partners and can cooperate with the proteasome for their degradation. A fission yeast cdc48 mutant (cdc48-353) shows low levels of the cohesin protease, separase, and pronounced chromosome segregation defects in mitosis. Separase initiates chromosome segregation when its binding partner securin is ubiquitinated and degraded. The low separase levels in the cdc48-353 mutant have been attributed to a failure to extract ubiquitinated securin from separase, resulting in co-degradation of separase along with securin. If true, Cdc48 would be important in mitosis. In contrast, we show here that low separase levels in the cdc48-353 mutant are independent of mitosis. Moreover, we find no evidence of enhanced separase degradation in the mutant. Instead, we suggest that the cdc48-353 mutant uncovers specific requirements for separase translation. Our results highlight a need to better understand how this key mitotic enzyme is synthesized.

The Cdc48 Complex Alleviates the Cytotoxicity of Misfolded Proteins by Regulating Ubiquitin Homeostasis

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is associated with multiple neurodegenerative disorders, but it remains poorly defined how this accumulation causes cytotoxicity. Here, we demonstrate that the Cdc48/p97 segregase machinery drives the clearance of ubiquitinated model misfolded protein Huntingtin (Htt103QP) and limits its aggregation. Nuclear ubiquitin ligase San1 acts upstream of Cdc48 to ubiquitinate Htt103QP. Unexpectedly, deletion of SAN1 and/or its cytosolic counterpart UBR1 rescues the toxicity associated with Cdc48 deficiency, suggesting that ubiquitin depletion, rather than compromised proteolysis of misfolded proteins, causes the growth defect in cells with Cdc48 deficiency. Indeed, Cdc48 deficiency leads to elevated protein ubiquitination levels and decreased free ubiquitin, which depends on San1/Ubr1. Furthermore, enhancing free ubiquitin levels rescues the toxicity in various Cdc48 pathway mutants and restores normal turnover of a known Cdc48-independent substrate. Our work highlights a previously unappreciated function for Cdc48 in ensuring the regeneration of monoubiquitin that is critical for normal cellular function.

The yeast protein Ubx4p contributes to mitochondrial respiration and lithium-galactose-mediated activation of the unfolded protein response

In the presence of galactose, lithium ions activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) by inhibiting phosphoglucomutase activity and causing the accumulation of galactose-related metabolites, including galactose-1-phosphate. These metabolites also accumulate in humans who have the disease classic galactosemia. Here, we demonstrate that Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains harboring a deletion of UBX4, a gene encoding a partner of Cdc48p in the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway, exhibit delayed UPR activation after lithium and galactose exposure because the deletion decreases galactose-1-phosphate levels. The delay in UPR activation did not occur in yeast strains in which key ERAD or proteasomal pathway genes had been disrupted, indicating that the ubx4Δ phenotype is ERAD-independent. We also observed that the ubx4Δ strain displays decreased oxygen consumption. The inhibition of mitochondrial respiration was sufficient to diminish galactose-1-phosphate levels and, consequently, affects UPR activation. Finally, we show that the deletion of the AMP-activated protein kinase ortholog-encoding gene SNF1 can restore the oxygen consumption rate in ubx4Δ strain, thereby reestablishing galactose metabolism, UPR activation, and cellular adaption to lithium-galactose challenge. Our results indicate a role for Ubx4p in yeast mitochondrial function and highlight that mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum functions are intertwined through galactose metabolism. These findings also shed new light on the mechanisms of lithium action and on the pathophysiology of galactosemia.

The Sts1 nuclear import adapter uses a non-canonical bipartite nuclear localization signal and is directly degraded by the proteasome

The proteasome is an essential regulator of protein homeostasis. In yeast and many mammalian cells, proteasomes strongly concentrate in the nucleus. Sts1 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an essential protein linked to proteasome nuclear localization. Here, we show that Sts1 contains a non-canonical bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) important for both nuclear localization of Sts1 itself and the proteasome. Sts1 binds the karyopherin-α import receptor (Srp1) stoichiometrically, and this requires the NLS. The NLS is essential for viability, and over-expressed Sts1 with an inactive NLS interferes with 26S proteasome import. The Sts1-Srp1 complex binds preferentially to fully assembled 26S proteasomes in vitro Sts1 is itself a rapidly degraded 26S proteasome substrate; notably, this degradation is ubiquitin independent in cells and in vitro and is inhibited by Srp1 binding. Mutants of Sts1 are stabilized, suggesting that its degradation is tightly linked to its role in localizing proteasomes to the nucleus. We propose that Sts1 normally promotes nuclear import of fully assembled proteasomes and is directly degraded by proteasomes without prior ubiquitylation following karyopherin-α release in the nucleus.

Ring of Change: CDC48/p97 Drives Protein Dynamics at Chromatin

The dynamic composition of proteins associated with nuclear DNA is a fundamental property of chromosome biology. In the chromatin compartment dedicated protein complexes govern the accurate synthesis and repair of the genomic information and define the state of DNA compaction in vital cellular processes such as chromosome segregation or transcription. Unscheduled or faulty association of protein complexes with DNA has detrimental consequences on genome integrity. Consequently, the association of protein complexes with DNA is remarkably dynamic and can respond rapidly to cellular signaling events, which requires tight spatiotemporal control. In this context, the ring-like AAA+ ATPase CDC48/p97 emerges as a key regulator of protein complexes that are marked with ubiquitin or SUMO. Mechanistically, CDC48/p97 functions as a segregase facilitating the extraction of substrate proteins from the chromatin. As such, CDC48/p97 drives molecular reactions either by directed disassembly or rearrangement of chromatin-bound protein complexes. The importance of this mechanism is reflected by human pathologies linked to p97 mutations, including neurodegenerative disorders, oncogenesis, and premature aging. This review focuses on the recent insights into molecular mechanisms that determine CDC48/p97 function in the chromatin environment, which is particularly relevant for cancer and aging research.

The amazing ubiquitin-proteasome system: structural components and implication in aging

Proteome quality control (PQC) is critical for the maintenance of cellular functionality and it is assured by the curating activity of the proteostasis network (PN). PN is constituted of several complex protein machines that under conditions of proteome instability aim to, firstly identify, and then, either rescue or degrade nonnative polypeptides. Central to the PN functionality is the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) which is composed from the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes and the proteasome; the latter is a sophisticated multi-subunit molecular machine that functions in a bimodal way as it degrades both short-lived ubiquitinated normal proteins and nonfunctional polypeptides. UPS is also involved in PQC of the nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria and it also interacts with the other main cellular degradation axis, namely the autophagy-lysosome system. UPS functionality is optimum in the young organism but it is gradually compromised during aging resulting in increasing proteotoxic stress; these effects correlate not only with aging but also with most age-related diseases. Herein, we present a synopsis of the UPS components and of their functional alterations during cellular senescence or in vivo aging. We propose that mild UPS activation in the young organism will, likely, promote antiaging effects and/or suppress age-related diseases.

Nuclear transport of yeast proteasomes

Proteasomes are conserved protease complexes enriched in the nuclei of dividing yeast cells, a major site for protein degradation. If yeast cells do not proliferate and transit to quiescence, metabolic changes result in the dissociation of proteasomes into proteolytic core and regulatory complexes and their sequestration into motile cytosolic proteasome storage granuli. These granuli rapidly clear with the resumption of growth, releasing the stored proteasomes, which relocalize back to the nucleus to promote cell cycle progression. Here, I report on three models of how proteasomes are transported from the cytoplasm into the nucleus of yeast cells. The first model applies for dividing yeast and is based on the canonical pathway using classical nuclear localization sequences of proteasomal subcomplexes and the classical import receptor importin/karyopherin αβ. The second model applies for quiescent yeast cells, which resume growth and use Blm10, a HEAT-like repeat protein structurally related to karyopherin β, for nuclear import of proteasome core particles. In the third model, the fully-assembled proteasome is imported into the nucleus. Our still marginal knowledge about proteasome dynamics will inspire the discussion on how protein degradation by proteasomes may be regulated in different cellular compartments of dividing and quiescent eukaryotic cells.

Human ASPL/TUG interacts with p97 and complements the proteasome mislocalization of a yeast ubx4 mutant, but not the ER-associated degradation defect

Background

In mammalian cells, ASPL is involved in insulin-stimulated redistribution of the glucose transporter GLUT4 and assembly of the Golgi apparatus. Its putative yeast orthologue, Ubx4, is important for proteasome localization, endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD), and UV-induced degradation of RNA polymerase.

Results

Here, we show that ASPL is a cofactor of the hexameric ATPase complex, known as p97 or VCP in mammals and Cdc48 in yeast. In addition, ASPL interacts in vitro with NSF, another hexameric ATPase complex. ASPL localizes to the ER membrane. The central area in ASPL, containing both a SHP box and a UBX domain, is required for binding to the p97 N-domain. Knock-down of ASPL does not impair degradation of misfolded secretory proteins via the ERAD pathway. Deletion of UBX4 in yeast causes cycloheximide sensitivity, while ubx4 cdc48-3 double mutations cause proteasome mislocalization. ASPL alleviates these defects, but not the impaired ERAD.

Conclusions

In conclusion, ASPL and Ubx4 are homologous proteins with only partially overlapping functions. Both interact with p97/Cdc48, but while Ubx4 is important for ERAD, ASPL appears not to share this function.