scholarly journals Large-scale RNAi screening uncovers new therapeutic targets in the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jipeng Wang ◽  
Carlos Paz ◽  
Gilda Padalino ◽  
Avril Coghlan ◽  
Zhigang Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Stem Cell Maintenance ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Protein Kinase Signaling

Schistosomes kill 250,000 people every year and are responsible for serious morbidity in 240 million of the world's poorest people. Despite their profound global impact, only a single drug (praziquantel) is available to treat schistosomiasis, highlighting the need to better understand schistosome biology to drive the development of a new generation of therapeutics. A major barrier to this goal is the paucity of large-scale datasets exploring schistosome gene function. Here, we describe the first large-scale RNA interference screen in adult Schistosoma mansoni examining the function of over 2000 genes representing approximately 20 percent of the protein coding genome. More than 250 genes were found to have phenotypes affecting neuromuscular function, tissue integrity, stem cell maintenance, and parasite survival. Leveraging these data, we bioinformatically prioritized several compounds with in vitro activity against parasites and validated p97, a component of the ubiquitin proteasome system, as a drug target in the worm. We further reveal a potentially druggable protein kinase-signaling module involving the TAO and STK25 kinases that are essential for maintaining the transcription of muscle-specific mRNAs. Importantly, loss of either of these kinases results in paralysis and death of schistosomes following surgical transplantation into a mammalian host. We anticipate this work will invigorate studies into the biology of these poorly studied organisms and expedite the development of new therapeutics to treat an important neglected tropical disease.

scholarly journals Large-scale RNAi screening uncovers therapeutic targets in the parasite Schistosoma mansoni

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 369 (6511) ◽  
pp. 1649-1653
Author(s):  
Jipeng Wang ◽  
Carlos Paz ◽  
Gilda Padalino ◽  
Avril Coghlan ◽  
Zhigang Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
Stem Cell Maintenance ◽  
Tissue Integrity ◽  
Parasite Survival ◽  
Therapeutic Development

Schistosome parasites kill 250,000 people every year. Treatment of schistosomiasis relies on the drug praziquantel. Unfortunately, a scarcity of molecular tools has hindered the discovery of new drug targets. Here, we describe a large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen in adult Schistosoma mansoni that examined the function of 2216 genes. We identified 261 genes with phenotypes affecting neuromuscular function, tissue integrity, stem cell maintenance, and parasite survival. Leveraging these data, we prioritized compounds with activity against the parasites and uncovered a pair of protein kinases (TAO and STK25) that cooperate to maintain muscle-specific messenger RNA transcription. Loss of either of these kinases results in paralysis and worm death in a mammalian host. These studies may help expedite therapeutic development and invigorate studies of these neglected parasites.

scholarly journals Breakdown of Filamentous Myofibrils by the UPS–Step by Step

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Dina Aweida ◽  
Shenhav Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Protein Quality ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Catalytic Core ◽  
Complex Protein ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Aaa Atpases

Protein degradation maintains cellular integrity by regulating virtually all biological processes, whereas impaired proteolysis perturbs protein quality control, and often leads to human disease. Two major proteolytic systems are responsible for protein breakdown in all cells: autophagy, which facilitates the loss of organelles, protein aggregates, and cell surface proteins; and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), which promotes degradation of mainly soluble proteins. Recent findings indicate that more complex protein structures, such as filamentous assemblies, which are not accessible to the catalytic core of the proteasome in vitro, can be efficiently degraded by this proteolytic machinery in systemic catabolic states in vivo. Mechanisms that loosen the filamentous structure seem to be activated first, hence increasing the accessibility of protein constituents to the UPS. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms underlying the disassembly and loss of the intricate insoluble filamentous myofibrils, which are responsible for muscle contraction, and whose degradation by the UPS causes weakness and disability in aging and disease. Several lines of evidence indicate that myofibril breakdown occurs in a strictly ordered and controlled manner, and the function of AAA-ATPases is crucial for their disassembly and loss.

scholarly journals A Yeast-Based Functional Assay to Study Plant N-Degron – N-Recognin Interactions

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Kozlic ◽  
Nikola Winter ◽  
Theresia Telser ◽  
Jakob Reimann ◽  
Katrin Rose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
The Novel ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Weak Binding ◽  
Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
The Stability

The N-degron pathway is a branch of the ubiquitin-proteasome system where amino-terminal residues serve as degradation signals. In a synthetic biology approach, we expressed ubiquitin ligase PRT6 and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 (AtUBC2) from Arabidopsis thaliana in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with mutation in its endogenous N-degron pathway. The two enzymes re-constitute part of the plant N-degron pathway and were probed by monitoring the stability of co-expressed GFP-linked plant proteins starting with Arginine N-degrons. The novel assay allows for straightforward analysis, whereas in vitro interaction assays often do not allow detection of the weak binding of N-degron recognizing ubiquitin ligases to their substrates, and in planta testing is usually complex and time-consuming.

scholarly journals The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Does Not Regulate the Degradation of Porcine β-Microseminoprotein during Sperm Capacitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 4151
Author(s):  
Lucie Tumova ◽  
Michal Zigo ◽  
Peter Sutovsky ◽  
Marketa Sedmikova ◽  
Pavla Postlerova
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Plasma Proteins ◽  
Protein Composition ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Sperm Capacitation ◽  
Sperm Surface ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Seminal Plasma Proteins

Sperm capacitation, one of the key events during successful fertilization, is associated with extensive structural and functional sperm remodeling, beginning with the modification of protein composition within the sperm plasma membrane. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), a multiprotein complex responsible for protein degradation and turnover, participates in capacitation events. Previous studies showed that capacitation-induced shedding of the seminal plasma proteins such as SPINK2, AQN1, and DQH from the sperm surface is regulated by UPS. Alterations in the sperm surface protein composition also relate to the porcine β-microseminoprotein (MSMB/PSP94), seminal plasma protein known as immunoglobulin-binding factor, and motility inhibitor. MSMB was detected in the acrosomal region as well as the flagellum of ejaculated boar spermatozoa, while the signal disappeared from the acrosomal region after in vitro capacitation (IVC). The involvement of UPS in the MSMB degradation during sperm IVC was studied using proteasomal interference and ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) inhibiting conditions by image-based flow cytometry and Western blot detection. Our results showed no accumulation of porcine MSMB either under proteasomal inhibition or under E1 inhibiting conditions. In addition, the immunoprecipitation study did not detect any ubiquitination of sperm MSMB nor was MSMB detected in the affinity-purified fraction containing ubiquitinated sperm proteins. Based on our results, we conclude that UPS does not appear to be the regulatory mechanism in the case of MSMB and opening new questions for further studies. Thus, the capacitation-induced processing of seminal plasma proteins on the sperm surface may be more complex than previously thought, employing multiple proteolytic systems in a non-redundant manner.

scholarly journals USP14 Inhibition Regulates Tumorigenesis by Inducing Autophagy in Lung Cancer In Vitro

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung Ho Han ◽  
Minseok Kwak ◽  
Tae Hyeong Lee ◽  
Min-soo Park ◽  
In-ho Jeong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Deubiquitinating Enzyme ◽  
Lung Tumorigenesis ◽  
Ubiquitin Chain ◽  
Specific Protease ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Autophagy Pathway

The ubiquitin–proteasome system is an essential regulator of several cellular pathways involving oncogenes. Deubiquitination negatively regulates target proteins or substrates linked to both hereditary and sporadic forms of cancer. The deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) is associated with proteasomes where it trims the ubiquitin chain on the substrate. Here, we found that USP14 is highly expressed in patients with lung cancer. We also demonstrated that USP14 inhibitors (IU1-47 and siRNA-USP14) significantly decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in lung cancer. Remarkably, we found that USP14 negatively regulates lung tumorigenesis not only through apoptosis but also through the autophagy pathway. Our findings suggest that USP14 plays a crucial role in lung tumorigenesis and that USP14 inhibitors are potent drugs in lung cancer treatment.

Degradation of mutant huntingtin via the ubiquitin/proteasome system is modulated by FE65

2012 ◽  
Vol 443 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Ning Vanessa Chow ◽  
Hon Wing Luk ◽  
Ho Yin Edwin Chan ◽  
Kwok-Fai Lau
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Degradation Mechanism ◽  
Neuronal Cell Death ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome

An unstable expansion of the polyglutamine repeat within exon 1 of the protein Htt (huntingtin) causes HD (Huntington's disease). Mounting evidence shows that accumulation of N-terminal mutant Htt fragments is the source of disruption of normal cellular processes which ultimately leads to neuronal cell death. Understanding the degradation mechanism of mutant Htt and improving its clearance has emerged as a new direction in developing therapeutic approaches to treat HD. In the present study we show that the brain-enriched adaptor protein FE65 is a novel interacting partner of Htt. The binding is mediated through WW–polyproline interaction and is dependent on the length of the polyglutamine tract. Interestingly, a reduction in mutant Htt protein level was observed in FE65-knockdown cells, and the process requires the UPS (ubiquitin/proteasome system). Moreover, the ubiquitination level of mutant Htt was found to be enhanced when FE65 is knocked down. Immunofluroescence staining revealed that FE65 associates with mutant Htt aggregates. Additionally, we demonstrated that overexpression of FE65 increases mutant Htt-induced cell death both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that FE65 facilitates the accumulation of mutant Htt in cells by preventing its degradation via the UPS, and thereby enhances the toxicity of mutant Htt.

scholarly journals Rotavirus NSP1 Associates with Components of the Cullin RING Ligase Family of E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (13) ◽  
pp. 6036-6048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindy M. Lutz ◽  
Chandler R. Pace ◽  
Michelle M. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Ubiquitin Ligase ◽  
Nonstructural Protein ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Scaffolding Proteins ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Rotavirus A ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Infected Cells

ABSTRACTThe rotavirus nonstructural protein NSP1 acts as an antagonist of the host antiviral response by inducing degradation of key proteins required to activate interferon (IFN) production. Protein degradation induced by NSP1 is dependent on the proteasome, and the presence of a RING domain near the N terminus has led to the hypothesis that NSP1 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. To examine this hypothesis, pulldown assays were performed, followed by mass spectrometry to identify components of the host ubiquitination machinery that associate with NSP1. Multiple components of cullin RING ligases (CRLs), which are essential multisubunit ubiquitination complexes, were identified in association with NSP1. The mass spectrometry was validated in both transfected and infected cells to show that the NSP1 proteins from different strains of rotavirus associated with key components of CRL complexes, most notably the cullin scaffolding proteins Cul3 and Cul1.In vitrobinding assays using purified proteins confirmed that NSP1 specifically interacted with Cul3 and that the N-terminal region of Cul3 was responsible for binding to NSP1. To test if NSP1 used CRL3 to induce degradation of the target protein IRF3 or β-TrCP, Cul3 levels were knocked down using a small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach. Unexpectedly, loss of Cul3 did not rescue IRF3 or β-TrCP from degradation in infected cells. The results indicate that, rather than actively using CRL complexes to induce degradation of target proteins required for IFN production, NSP1 may use cullin-containing complexes to prevent another cellular activity.IMPORTANCEThe ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays an important regulatory role in numerous cellular functions, and many viruses have evolved mechanisms to exploit or manipulate this pathway to enhance replication and spread. Rotavirus, a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children that causes approximately 420,000 deaths worldwide each year, utilizes the ubiquitin-proteasome system to subvert the host innate immune response by inducing the degradation of key components required for the production of interferon (IFN). Here, we show that NSP1 proteins from different rotavirus strains associate with the scaffolding proteins Cul1 and Cul3 of CRL ubiquitin ligase complexes. Nonetheless, knockdown of Cul1 and Cul3 suggests that NSP1 induces the degradation of some target proteins independently of its association with CRL complexes, stressing a need to further investigate the mechanistic details of how NSP1 subverts the host IFN response.

scholarly journals The AAA-ATPase p97 is essential for outer mitochondrial membrane protein turnover

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Xu ◽  
Guihong Peng ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Shengyun Fang ◽  
Mariusz Karbowski
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Proteasomal Degradation ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Outer Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Aaa Atpase ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Molecular Components

Recent studies have revealed a role for the ubiquitin/proteasome system in the regulation and turnover of outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM)-associated proteins. Although several molecular components required for this process have been identified, the mechanism of proteasome-dependent degradation of OMM-associated proteins is currently unclear. We show that an AAA-ATPase, p97, is required for the proteasomal degradation of Mcl1 and Mfn1, two unrelated OMM proteins with short half-lives. A number of biochemical assays, as well as imaging of changes in localization of photoactivable GFP-fused Mcl1, revealed that p97 regulates the retrotranslocation of Mcl1 from mitochondria to the cytosol, prior to, or concurrent with, proteasomal degradation. Mcl1 retrotranslocation from the OMM depends on the activity of the ATPase domain of p97. Furthermore, p97-mediated retrotranslocation of Mcl1 can be recapitulated in vitro, confirming a direct mitochondrial role for p97. Our results establish p97 as a novel and essential component of the OMM-associated protein degradation pathway.

scholarly journals A therapeutic dose of doxorubicin activates ubiquitin-proteasome system-mediated proteolysis by acting on both the ubiquitination apparatus and proteasome

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (6) ◽  
pp. H2541-H2550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinbao Liu ◽  
Hanqiao Zheng ◽  
Mingxin Tang ◽  
Youn-Chul Ryu ◽  
Xuejun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Proteasome Inhibition ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
3T3 Cells ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Relevant Dose ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Endogenous Substrates

The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) degrades abnormal proteins and most unneeded normal proteins, thereby playing a critical role in protein homeostasis in the cell. Proteasome inhibition is effective in treating certain forms of cancer, while UPS dysfunction is increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of many severe and yet common diseases. It has been previously shown that doxorubicin (Dox) enhances the degradation of a UPS surrogate substrate in mouse hearts. To address the underlying mechanism, in the present study, we report that 1) Dox not only enhances the degradation of an exogenous UPS reporter (GFPu) but also antagonizes the proteasome inhibitor-induced accumulation of endogenous substrates (e.g., β-catenin and c-Jun) of the UPS in cultured NIH 3T3 cells and cardiomyocytes; 2) Dox facilitates the in vitro degradation of GFPu and c-Jun by the reconstituted UPS via the enhancement of proteasomal function; 3) Dox at a therapeutically relevant dose directly stimulates the peptidase activities of purified 20S proteasomes; and 4) Dox increases, whereas proteasome inhibition decreases, E3 ligase COOH-terminus of heat shock protein cognate 70 in 3T3 cells via a posttranscriptional mechanism. These new findings suggest that Dox activates the UPS by acting directly on both the ubiquitination apparatus and proteasome.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document