scholarly journals The ER membrane protein complex is required to ensure correct topology and stable expression of flavivirus polyproteins

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M Ngo ◽  
Matthew J Shurtleff ◽  
Katerina D Popova ◽  
Jessie Kulsuptrakul ◽  
Jonathan S Weissman ◽  
...  

AbstractFlaviviruses translate their genomes as multi-pass transmembrane proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Here, we show that the ER membrane protein complex (EMC) is indispensable for the expression of viral polyproteins. We demonstrated that EMC was essential for accurate folding and post-translational stability rather than translation efficiency. Specifically, we revealed degradation of NS4A-NS4B, a region rich in transmembrane domains, in absence of EMC. Orthogonally, by serial passaging of virus on EMC-deficient cells, we identified two non-synonymous point mutations in NS4A and NS4B, which rescued viral replication. Finally, we showed a physical interaction between EMC and viral NS4B and that the NS4A-4B region adopts an aberrant topology in the absence of the EMC leading to degradation. Together, our data highlight how flaviviruses hijack the EMC for transmembrane protein biogenesis to achieve optimal expression of their polyproteins, which reinforces a role for the EMC in stabilizing challenging transmembrane proteins during synthesis.

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M Ngo ◽  
Matthew J Shurtleff ◽  
Katerina D Popova ◽  
Jessie Kulsuptrakul ◽  
Jonathan S Weissman ◽  
...  

Flaviviruses translate their genomes as multi-pass transmembrane proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Here, we show that the ER membrane protein complex (EMC) is indispensable for the expression of viral polyproteins. We demonstrated that EMC was essential for accurate folding and post-translational stability rather than translation efficiency. Specifically, we revealed degradation of NS4A-NS4B, a region rich in transmembrane domains, in absence of EMC. Orthogonally, by serial passaging of virus on EMC-deficient cells, we identified two non-synonymous point mutations in NS4A and NS4B, which rescued viral replication. Finally, we showed a physical interaction between EMC and viral NS4B and that the NS4A-4B region adopts an aberrant topology in the absence of the EMC leading to degradation. Together, our data highlight how flaviviruses hijack the EMC for transmembrane protein biogenesis to achieve optimal expression of their polyproteins, which reinforces a role for the EMC in stabilizing challenging transmembrane proteins during synthesis.


Cell Reports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1666-1674.e4 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Lin ◽  
Takamasa Inoue ◽  
Yu-Jie Chen ◽  
Aaron Chang ◽  
Billy Tsai ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Barrows ◽  
Yesseinia Anglero-Rodriguez ◽  
Byungil Kim ◽  
Sharon F. Jamison ◽  
Caroline Le Sommer ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Tino Pleiner ◽  
Kurt Januszyk ◽  
Giovani Pinton Tomaleri ◽  
Robert S. Oania ◽  
Masami Hazu ◽  
...  

SummaryThe assembly of nascent proteins into multi-subunit complexes is tightly regulated to maintain cellular homeostasis. The ER membrane protein complex (EMC) is an essential insertase that requires seven membrane-spanning and two soluble subunits for function. Here we show that the kinase With no lysine 1 (WNK1), known for its role in hypertension and neuropathy, is required for assembly of the human EMC. WNK1 uses a conserved amphipathic helix to stabilize the soluble subunit, EMC2, by binding to the EMC2-8 interface. Shielding this hydrophobic surface prevents promiscuous interactions of unassembled EMC2 and precludes binding of ubiquitin ligases, permitting assembly. Using biochemical reconstitution, we show that after EMC2 reaches the membrane, its interaction partners within the EMC displace WNK1, and similarly shield its exposed hydrophobic surfaces. This work describes an unexpected role for WNK1 in protein biogenesis, and defines the general requirements of an assembly factor that will apply across the proteome.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Shurtleff ◽  
Daniel N Itzhak ◽  
Jeffrey A Hussmann ◽  
Nicole T Schirle Oakdale ◽  
Elizabeth A Costa ◽  
...  

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports biosynthesis of proteins with diverse transmembrane domain (TMD) lengths and hydrophobicity. Features in transmembrane domains such as charged residues in ion channels are often functionally important, but could pose a challenge during cotranslational membrane insertion and folding. Our systematic proteomic approaches in both yeast and human cells revealed that the ER membrane protein complex (EMC) binds to and promotes the biogenesis of a range of multipass transmembrane proteins, with a particular enrichment for transporters. Proximity-specific ribosome profiling demonstrates that the EMC engages clients cotranslationally and immediately following clusters of TMDs enriched for charged residues. The EMC can remain associated after completion of translation, which both protects clients from premature degradation and allows recruitment of substrate-specific and general chaperones. Thus, the EMC broadly enables the biogenesis of multipass transmembrane proteins containing destabilizing features, thereby mitigating the trade-off between function and stability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. jcs223453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Volkmar ◽  
Maria-Laetitia Thezenas ◽  
Sharon M. Louie ◽  
Szymon Juszkiewicz ◽  
Daniel K. Nomura ◽  
...  

F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy G. Wideman

The recently discovered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex (EMC) has been implicated in ER-associated degradation (ERAD), lipid transport and tethering between the ER and mitochondrial outer membranes, and assembly of multipass ER-membrane proteins. The EMC has been studied in both animals and fungi but its presence outside the Opisthokont clade (animals + fungi + related protists) has not been demonstrated. Here, using homology-searching algorithms, I show that the EMC is truly an ancient and conserved protein complex, present in every major eukaryotic lineage. Very few organisms have completely lost the EMC, and most, even over 2 billion years of eukaryote evolution, have retained a majority of the complex members. I identify Sop4 and YDR056C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as Emc7 and Emc10, respectively, subunits previously thought to be specific to animals. This study demonstrates that the EMC was present in the last eukaryote common ancestor (LECA) and is an extremely important component of eukaryotic cells even though its primary function remains elusive.


2020 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 813-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Marquez ◽  
June Criscione ◽  
Rebekah M. Charney ◽  
Maneeshi S. Prasad ◽  
Woong Y. Hwang ◽  
...  

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