The Crystal Structures of a Chiral Aminoalkoxide Cluster and Its Adduct with Benzyllithium

The crystal structures of the chiral aminoalkoxide cluster (S)-2 and its unexpected adduct with benzyllithium (S)-3 have been determined. For compound (S)-2, a hexameric cyclic ring-ladder is observed in the solid state, which leads to an unshielded coordination site in a chiral pocket that is only accessible from one direction. The presence of (S)-2 leads to the deprotonation of toluene by n-butyllithium, giving benzyllithium. In contrast to earlier studies on lithium alkoxides, the resulting adduct (S)-3 between benzyllithium and (S)-2 is not formed by the exchange of alkoxy groups for alkanide units, as has been observed for a multitude of examples. Compound (S)-3 therefore represents a thus far unconsidered type of structure: the unshielded "top side" of the aminoalkoxide cluster (S)-2 capped by the lithium center of benzyllithium via three Li-O interactions.

Allosteric control of Ubp6 and the proteasome via a bidirectional switch

The proteasome recognizes ubiquitinated proteins and can also edit ubiquitin marks, allowing substrates to be rejected based on ubiquitin chain topology. In yeast, editing is mediated by deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp6. The proteasome activates Ubp6, whereas Ubp6 inhibits the proteasome through deubiquitination and a noncatalytic effect. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of the proteasome bound to Ubp6, based on which we identify mutants in Ubp6 and proteasome subunit Rpt1 that abrogate Ubp6 activation. The Ubp6 mutations define a conserved region that we term the ILR element. The ILR is found within the BL1 loop, which obstructs the catalytic groove in free Ubp6. Rpt1-ILR interaction opens the groove by rearranging not only BL1 but also a previously undescribed network of three interconnected active-site-blocking loops. Ubp6 activation and noncatalytic proteasome inhibition are linked in that they are eliminated by the same mutations. Ubp6 and ubiquitin together drive proteasomes into a unique conformation associated with proteasome inhibition. Thus, a multicomponent allosteric switch exerts simultaneous control over both Ubp6 and the proteasome.