Lysine Ubiquitination Research Articles

Prediction of lysine ubiquitination with mRMR feature selection and analysis

Ubiquitination, one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, occurs when ubiquitin (a small 76-amino acid protein) is attached to lysine on a target protein. It often commits the labeled protein to degradation and plays important roles in regulating many cellular processes implicated in a variety of diseases. Since ubiquitination is rapid and reversible, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive to identify ubiquitination sites using conventional experimental approaches. To efficiently discover lysine-ubiquitination sites, a sequence-based predictor of ubiquitination site was developed based on nearest neighbor algorithm. We used the maximum relevance and minimum redundancy principle to identify the key features and the incremental feature selection procedure to optimize the prediction engine. PSSM conservation scores, amino acid factors and disorder scores of the surrounding sequence formed the optimized 456 features. The Mathew's correlation coefficient (MCC) of our ubiquitination site predictor achieved 0.142 by jackknife cross-validation test on a large benchmark dataset. In independent test, the MCC of our method was 0.139, higher than the existing ubiquitination site predictor UbiPred and UbPred. The MCCs of UbiPred and UbPred on the same test set were 0.135 and 0.117, respectively. Our analysis shows that the conservation of amino acids at and around lysine plays an important role in ubiquitination site prediction. What's more, disorder and ubiquitination have a strong relevance. These findings might provide useful insights for studying the mechanisms of ubiquitination and modulating the ubiquitination pathway, potentially leading to potential therapeutic strategies in the future.

A Data Set of Human Endogenous Protein Ubiquitination Sites

Lysine ubiquitination is an important and versatile protein post-translational modification. Numerous cellular functions are regulated by ubiquitination, suggesting that extensive numbers of proteins, if not all, are modified with ubiquitin at certain times. However, proteome-wide profiling of ubiquitination sites in the mammalian system is technically challenging. We report the design and characterization of an engineered protein affinity reagent for the isolation of ubiquitinated proteins and the identification of ubiquitination sites with mass spectrometry. This recombinant protein consists of four tandem repeats of ubiquitin-associated domain from UBQLN1 fused to a GST tag. We used this GST-qUBA reagent to isolate polyubiquitinated proteins and identified 294 endogenous ubiquitination sites on 223 proteins from human 293T cells without proteasome inhibitors or overexpression of ubiquitin. Mitochondrial proteins constitute 14.7% of this data set, implicating ubiquitination in a wide range of mitochondrial functions.

Global analysis of lysine ubiquitination by ubiquitin remnant immunoaffinity profiling

Protein ubiquitination is a post-translational modification (PTM) that regulates various aspects of protein function by different mechanisms. Global profiling of PTMs usually relies on purification and sequencing of PTM-containing peptides from proteolytic digests. Characterization of ubiquitination has lagged behind that of smaller PTMs, such as phosphorylation and acetylation, largely because of the difficulty of isolating and identifying peptides derived from the ubiquitinated portion of proteins. To address this issue, we have generated a monoclonal antibody that can enrich for peptides containing lysine residues modified by diglycine, an adduct left at sites of ubiquitination after trypsin digestion. We use mass spectrometry to identify 374 diglycine-modified lysines on 236 ubiquitinated proteins from HEK293 cells, including 80 proteins containing multiple sites of ubiquitination. Seventy-two percent of these proteins and 92% of the ubiquitination sites do not appear to have been reported previously. Ubiquitin remnant profiling of the multi-ubiquitinated proteins proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and tubulin α-1A reveals differential regulation of ubiquitination at specific sites by microtubule inhibitors, demonstrating the effectiveness of our method to characterize the dynamics of lysine ubiquitination.

Hepatitis B Virus Replication and Release Are Independent of Core Lysine Ubiquitination

Ubiquitin conjugation to lysine residues regulates a variety of protein functions, including endosomal trafficking and degradation. While ubiquitin plays an important role in the release of many viruses, the requirement for direct ubiquitin conjugation to viral structural proteins is less well understood. Some viral structural proteins require ubiquitin ligase activity, but not ubiquitin conjugation, for efficient release. Recent evidence has shown that, like other viruses, hepatitis B virus (HBV) requires a ubiquitin ligase for release from the infected cell. The HBV core protein contains two lysine residues (K7 and K96), and K96 has been suggested to function as a potential ubiquitin acceptor site based on the fact that previous studies have shown that mutation of this amino acid to alanine blocks HBV release. We therefore reexamined the potential connection between core lysine ubiquitination and HBV replication, protein trafficking, and virion release. In contrast to alanine substitution, we found that mutation of K96 to arginine, which compared to alanine is more conserved but also cannot mediate ubiquitin conjugation, does not affect either virus replication or virion release. We also found that the core lysine mutants display wild-type sensitivity to the antiviral activity of interferon, which demonstrates that ubiquitination of core lysines does not mediate the interferon-induced disruption of HBV capsids. However, mutation of K96 to arginine alters the nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution of core, leading to an accumulation in the nucleolus. In summary, these studies demonstrate that although ubiquitin may regulate the HBV replication cycle, these mechanisms function independently of direct lysine ubiquitination of core protein.

Histone methylation and ubiquitination with their cross-talk and roles in gene expression and stability.

Methylation of lysine residues of histones is associated with functionally distinct regions of chromatin, and, therefore, is an important epigenetic mark. Over the past few years, several enzymes that catalyze this covalent modification on different lysine residues of histones have been discovered. Intriguingly, histone lysine methylation has also been shown to be cross-regulated by histone ubiquitination or the enzymes that catalyze this modification. These covalent modifications and their cross-talks play important roles in regulation of gene expression, heterochromatin formation, genome stability, and cancer. Thus, there has been a very rapid progress within past several years towards elucidating the molecular basis of histone lysine methylation and ubiquitination, and their aberrations in human diseases. Here, we discuss these covalent modifications with their cross-regulation and roles in controlling gene expression and stability.

The Specificities of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Encoded E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Are Determined by the Positions of Lysine or Cysteine Residues within the Intracytoplasmic Domains of Their Targets

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus encodes two homologous E3 ligases, MIR1 and MIR2, that mediate the ubiquitination and subsequent downregulation of several cell surface proteins, and in particular major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules. We have previously shown that, in addition to lysine ubiquitination, MIR1 has the unique ability of transferring ubiquitin onto MHC-I molecules lacking available lysine residues, in a cysteine-dependent manner. Here we report that MIR1 activity is maximal when either a lysine or cysteine residue is placed approximately 15 amino acids away from the transmembrane domain, whereas MIR2 preferentially targets residues, including cysteines, that are closer to the transmembrane domain. Thus MIR1 and -2 can distinguish their substrates based on the position of the lysine or cysteine residues, suggesting that these proteins have evolved to target different sets of surface molecules. These results indicate that the position of target residues within a substrate is an essential determinant of E3 ubiquitin ligase specificity.

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) on Unfixed Chromatin from Cells and Tissues to Analyze Histone Modifications

INTRODUCTIONIn cells and tissues, the histone proteins that constitute the nucleosomes can present multiple post-translational modifications, such as lysine acetylation, lysine and arginine methylation, serine phosphorylation, and lysine ubiquitination. On their own, or in combination, these covalent modifications on the core histones are thought to play essential roles in chromatin organization and gene expression in eukaryotes. Importantly, patterns of histone modifications may be somatically conserved and can, thereby, maintain locus-specific repression/activity in defined lineages, or throughout development. Indirect immunofluorescence studies on cultured cells have been pivotal in unraveling the roles of histone modifications. However, to address in detail what happens at specific sites in vivo, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is the method of choice. Here, we describe how ChIP can be performed on non-fixed chromatin from animal cells or tissues (fresh or frozen) to analyze histone modifications at specific chromosomal sites. These protocols are suitable only for analyzing histones and their modifications. For other applications, chromatin immunoprecipitation should be performed on cross-linked chromatin.

Organismal Differences in Post-translational Modifications in Histones H3 and H4

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones play an important role in many cellular processes, notably gene regulation. Using a combination of mass spectrometric and immunobiochemical approaches, we show that the PTM profile of histone H3 differs significantly among the various model organisms examined. Unicellular eukaryotes, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and Tetrahymena thermophila (Tet), for example, contain more activation than silencing marks as compared with mammalian cells (mouse and human), which are generally enriched in PTMs more often associated with gene silencing. Close examination reveals that many of the better-known modified lysines (Lys) can be either methylated or acetylated and that the overall modification patterns become more complex from unicellular eukaryotes to mammals. Additionally, novel species-specific H3 PTMs from wild-type asynchronously grown cells are also detected by mass spectrometry. Our results suggest that some PTMs are more conserved than previously thought, including H3K9me1 and H4K20me2 in yeast and H3K27me1, -me2, and -me3 in Tet. On histone H4, methylation at Lys-20 showed a similar pattern as H3 methylation at Lys-9, with mammals containing more methylation than the unicellular organisms. Additionally, modification profiles of H4 acetylation were very similar among the organisms examined.

Ubiquitin-dependent Down-regulation of the Neurokinin-1 Receptor

Transient stimulation with substance P (SP) induces endocytosis and recycling of the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK(1)R). The effects of sustained stimulation by high concentrations of SP on NK(1)R trafficking and Ca(2+) signaling, as may occur during chronic inflammation and pain, are unknown. Chronic exposure to SP (100 nm, 3 h) completely desensitized Ca(2+) signaling by wild-type NK(1)R (NK(1)Rwt). Resensitization occurred after 16 h, and cycloheximide prevented resensitization, implicating new receptor synthesis. Lysine ubiquitination of G-protein-coupled receptors is a signal for their trafficking and degradation. Lysine-deficient mutant receptors (NK(1)RDelta5K/R, C-terminal tail lysines; and NK(1)RDelta10K/R, all intracellular lysines) were expressed at the plasma membrane and were functional because they responded to SP by endocytosis and by mobilization of Ca(2+) ions. SP desensitized NK(1)Rwt, NK(1)RDelta5K/R, and NK(1)RDelta10K/R. However, NK(1)RDelta5K/R and NK(1)RDelta10K/R resensitized 4-8-fold faster than NK(1)Rwt by cycloheximide-independent mechanisms. NK(1)RDelta325 (a naturally occurring truncated variant) showed incomplete desensitization, followed by a marked sensitization of signaling. Upon labeling receptors in living cells using antibodies to extracellular epitopes, we observed that SP induced endocytosis of NK(1)Rwt, NK(1)RDelta5K/R, and NK(1)RDelta10K/R. After 4 h in SP-free medium, NK(1)RDelta5K/R and NK(1)RDelta10K/R recycled to the plasma membrane, whereas NK(1)Rwt remained internalized. SP induced ubiquitination of NK(1)Rwt and NK(1)RDelta5K/R as determined by immunoprecipitation under nondenaturing and denaturing conditions and detected with antibodies for mono- and polyubiquitin. NK(1)RDelta10K/R was not ubiquitinated. Whereas SP induced degradation of NK(1)Rwt, NK(1)RDelta5K/R and NK(1)RDelta10K/R showed approximately 50% diminished degradation. Thus, chronic stimulation with SP induces ubiquitination of the NK(1)R, which mediates its degradation and down-regulation.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Post-translational Modifications of Human Histones

Histone proteins are subject to a range of post-transcriptional modifications in living cells. The combinatorial nature of these modifications constitutes the "histone code" that dictates chromatin structure and function during development, growth, differentiation, and homeostasis of cells. Deciphering of the histone code is hampered by the lack of analytical methods for monitoring the combinatorial complexity of reversible multisite modifications of histones, including acetylation and methylation. To address this problem, we used LC-MSMS technology and Virtual Expert Mass Spectrometrist software for qualitative and quantitative proteomic analysis of histones extracted from human small cell lung cancer cells. A total of 32 acetylations, methylations, and ubiquitinations were located in the human histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, including seven novel modifications. An LC-MSMS-based method was applied in a quantitative proteomic study of the dose-response effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) PXD101 on histone acetylation in human cell cultures. Triplicate LC-MSMS runs at six different HDACi concentrations demonstrated that PXD101 affects acetylation of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 in a site-specific and dose-dependent manner. This unbiased analysis revealed that a relative increase in acetylated peptide from the histone variants H2A, H2B, and H4 was accompanied by a relative decrease of dimethylated Lys(57) from histone H2B. The dose-response results obtained by quantitative proteomics of histones from HDACi-treated cells were consistent with Western blot analysis of histone acetylation, cytotoxicity, and dose-dependent expression profiles of p21 and cyclin A2. This demonstrates that mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic analysis of post-translational modifications is a viable approach for functional analysis of candidate drugs, such as HDAC inhibitors.

Regulatory cross-talk between lysine acetylation and ubiquitination: role in the control of protein stability

It is now becoming apparent that cross-talk between two protein lysine modifications, acetylation and ubiquitination, is a critical regulatory mechanism controlling vital cellular functions. The most apparent effect is the inhibition of proteasome-mediated protein degradation by lysine acetylation. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms, however, shows that, besides a direct competition between the two lysine modifications, more complex and indirect processes also connect these two signalling pathways. These findings point to protein lysine acetylation as a potential regulator of various cellular functions involving protein ubiquitination.