Regulation Of Post-translational Modifications Research Articles

Lysine Succinylation of VBS Contributes to Sclerotia Development and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus

Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophytic and pathogenic fungus, and its secondary metabolic pathways are one of the most highly characterized owing to its aflatoxin (AF) metabolite affecting global economic crops and human health. Different natural environments can cause significant variations in AF synthesis. Succinylation was recently identified as one of the most critical regulatory post-translational modifications affecting metabolic pathways. It is primarily reported in human cells and bacteria with few studies on fungi. Proteomic quantification of lysine succinylation (Ksuc) exploring its potential involvement in secondary metabolism regulation (including AF production) has not been performed under natural conditions in A. flavus. In this study, a quantification method was performed based on tandem mass tag labeling and antibody-based affinity enrichment of succinylated peptides via high accuracy nano-liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to explore the succinylation mechanism affecting the pathogenicity of naturally isolated A. flavus strains with varying toxin production. Altogether, 1240 Ksuc sites in 768 proteins were identified with 1103 sites in 685 proteins quantified. Comparing succinylated protein levels between high and low AF-producing A. flavus strains, bioinformatics analysis indicated that most succinylated proteins located in the AF biosynthetic pathway were downregulated, which directly affected AF synthesis. Versicolorin B synthase is a key catalytic enzyme for heterochrome B synthesis during AF synthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical studies revealed that versicolorin B synthase succinylation is an important regulatory mechanism affecting sclerotia development and AF biosynthesis in A. flavus. In summary, our quantitative study of the lysine succinylome in high/low AF-producing strains revealed the role of Ksuc in regulating AF biosynthesis. We revealed novel insights into the metabolism of AF biosynthesis using naturally isolated A. flavus strains and identified a rich source of metabolism-related enzymes regulated by succinylation.

In Silico Analysis of miR-181a and miR-155 and Their Target Genes in the Pathogenesis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) represents 80% of acute leukaemia in children and 20% in adults. In most cases, the cause remains unknown; however, genetic predisposition is found in most patients. Clinically, a patient is diagnosed with ALL when peripheral blood smear or bone marrow aspirate is overpopulated with lymphoblasts. Although the 5-year overall survival rate exceeds 90% using available treatments, the life-threatening effects still affect some patients [1]. Therefore, further improvement in clinical outcomes and reduction of adverse effects require novel therapeutic approaches such as microRNAs (miRNAs) biomarkers. In addition, miRNAs have demonstrated distinct expression profiles in classifying the ALL subtypes and involved in various cancers [2].
 
 Previously, miR-181a and miR-155 have been discussed, either acting as oncogenic or tumour suppressive miRNAs in carcinogenesis. The study aims to investigate the role of miR-181a and miR-155 and their predicted target genes in the pathogenesis of ALL. Hence, in silico analysis was conducted using miRDB 6.0 software to identify the predicted target genes and GeneCodis 4.0 software to identify signalling pathways regulated by miR-181a and miR-155. As presented in Table 1, miR-181a was found to be downregulated whereas miR-155 was significantly upregulated in ALL groups as compared to control groups [3].
 Analysis of target expression was conducted to identify predicted target genes in ALL cell line, DND-41. In this study, the predicted target genes are regulated by miR-181a and miR-155 (with target score ≥ 80 and target expression ≥ 20) revealed 57 genes and 29 genes, respectively. The most significant genes regulated by miR-181a and miR- 155 were DUSP6 and H3F3A, respectively. DUSP6 is a regulator for hyperactivation of the extracellular signal- regulated kinase (ERK) in relapsed pre-B ALL patients. Thus, this reaction caused lesions in the RAS pathway and oncogenic tyrosine kinases (e.g., BCR-ABL1).
 
 Additionally, a complete transformation of pre-B ALL clones was done by BCR-ABL1 and correlated with the activity of other MAPKs such as MAPK14 and MAP2K1. Therefore, ERK was identified as a negative feedback regulator of the RAS-ERK pathway [4].
 
 H3F3A was reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of paediatric leukaemia caused by mutated genes that encoded proteins during epigenetic regulation. The mutation in H3F3A led to the inability of this residue to undergo periodic regulatory post-translational modifications and blocked trimethylation of all H3 during T-ALL pathogenesis. Specifically, the recurrent T-ALL patients found the lysine-to-arginine mutations at H3K27 and H3K36. Hence, the reduced expression of H3 proteins was associated with unfavourable prognosis [5].
 
 The functional enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway was conducted by using GeneCodis 4.0 software. The most significant pathway targeted by miR-181a and miR-155 was p53 signalling pathway and MAPK pathway, respectively.
 
 SESN3 was mainly responsive to p53 protein by inducing its expression upon oxidative stress and strictly associated with the antioxidant response during p53 signalling pathway. Hence, SESN3 could be a potential therapeutic drug for anticancer therapy, such as decreased mTORC1 mechanism in leukaemia patients [6]. Besides that, FOS was disrupted the MAPK pathway components, specifically MEK1 and MEK2 which could increase sensitivity to chemotherapy in relapsed ALL patients. These components were involved in ERK phosphorylation that critically drives chemoresistance during MAPK/ERK signalling pathway [7].
 
 In conclusion, differentially expressed miRNAs have promising roles and can be used as effective biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, predictive and therapeutic effects in ALL patients.

MTOR Contributes to the Proteome Diversity through Transcriptome-Wide Alternative Splicing.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is crucial in energy metabolism and cell proliferation. Previously, we reported transcriptome-wide 3′-untranslated region (UTR) shortening by alternative polyadenylation upon mTOR activation and its impact on the proteome. Here, we further interrogated the mTOR-activated transcriptome and found that hyperactivation of mTOR promotes transcriptome-wide exon skipping/exclusion, producing short isoform transcripts from genes. This widespread exon skipping confers multifarious regulations in the mTOR-controlled functional proteomics: AS in coding regions widely affects the protein length and functional domains. They also alter the half-life of proteins and affect the regulatory post-translational modifications. Among the RNA processing factors differentially regulated by mTOR signaling, we found that SRSF3 mechanistically facilitates exon skipping in the mTOR-activated transcriptome. This study reveals a role of mTOR in AS regulation and demonstrates that widespread AS is a multifaceted modulator of the mTOR-regulated functional proteome.

Quantitative Cell Proteomic Atlas: Pathway-Scale Targeted Mass Spectrometry for High-Resolution Functional Profiling of Cell Signaling.

In spite of extensive studies of cellular signaling, many fundamental processes such as pathway integration, cross-talk, and feedback remain poorly understood. To enable integrated and quantitative measurements of cellular biochemical activities, we have developed the Quantitative Cell Proteomics Atlas (QCPA). QCPA consists of panels of targeted mass spectrometry assays to determine the abundance and stoichiometry of regulatory post-translational modifications of sentinel proteins from most known physiologic and pathogenic signaling pathways in human cells. QCPA currently profiles 1 913 peptides from 469 effectors of cell surface signaling, apoptosis, stress response, gene expression, quiescence, and proliferation. For each protein, QCPA includes triplets of isotopically labeled peptides covering known post-translational regulatory sites to determine their stoichiometries and unmodified protein regions to measure total protein abundance. The QCPA framework incorporates analytes to control for technical variability of sample preparation and mass spectrometric analysis, including TrypQuant, a synthetic substrate for accurate quantification of proteolysis efficiency for proteins containing chemically modified residues. The ability to precisely and accurately quantify most known signaling pathways should enable improved chemoproteomic approaches for the comprehensive analysis of cell signaling and clinical proteomics of diagnostic specimens. QCPA is openly available at https://qcpa.mskcc.org.

Phylogenetic and Expression Analysis of Fos Transcription Factors in Zebrafish.

Members of the FOS protein family regulate gene expression responses to a multitude of extracellular signals and are dysregulated in several pathological states. Whilst mouse genetic models have provided key insights into the tissue-specific functions of these proteins in vivo, little is known about their roles during early vertebrate embryonic development. This study examined the potential of using zebrafish as a model for such studies and, more broadly, for investigating the mechanisms regulating the functions of Fos proteins in vivo. Through phylogenetic and sequence analysis, we identified six zebrafish FOS orthologues, fosaa, fosab, fosb, fosl1a, fosl1b, and fosl2, which show high conservation in key regulatory domains and post-translational modification sites compared to their equivalent human proteins. During embryogenesis, zebrafish fos genes exhibit both overlapping and distinct spatiotemporal patterns of expression in specific cell types and tissues. Most fos genes are also expressed in a variety of adult zebrafish tissues. As in humans, we also found that expression of zebrafish FOS orthologs is induced by oncogenic BRAF-ERK signalling in zebrafish melanomas. These findings suggest that zebrafish represent an alternate model to mice for investigating the regulation and functions of Fos proteins in vertebrate embryonic and adult tissues, and cancer.

Acetylation of Lactate Dehydrogenase Negatively Regulates the Acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans.

ABSTRACTLysine acetylation, a ubiquitous and dynamic regulatory posttranslational modification (PTM), affects hundreds of proteins across all domains of life. In bacteria, lysine acetylation can be found in many essential pathways, and it is also crucial for bacterial virulence. However, the biological significance of lysine acetylation events to bacterial virulence factors remains poorly characterized. In Streptococcus mutans, the acetylome profiles help identify several lysine acetylation sites of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to lactic acid, causing the deterioration of teeth. We investigated the regulatory mechanism of LDH acetylation and characterized the effect of LDH acetylation on its function. We overexpressed the 15 Gcn5 N-acetyltransferases (GNAT) family members in S. mutans and showed that the acetyltransferase ActA impaired its acidogenicity by acetylating LDH. Additionally, enzymatic acetyltransferase reactions demonstrated that purified ActA could acetylate LDH in vitro, and 10 potential lysine acetylation sites of LDH were identified by mass spectrometry, 70% of which were also detected in vivo. We further demonstrated that the lysine acetylation of LDH inhibited its enzymatic activity, and a subsequent rat caries model showed that ActA impaired the cariogenicity of S. mutans. Collectively, we demonstrated that ActA, the first identified and characterized acetyltransferase in S. mutans, acetylated the LDH enzymatically and inhibited its enzymatic activity, thereby providing a starting point for the further analysis of the biological significance of lysine acetylation in the virulence of S. mutans.

Method for detecting acetylated PD-L1 in cell lysates by immunoprecipitation and western blot analysis

Lysine acetylation is an important regulatory post-translational modification (PTM) that occurs sub-stoichiometrically, often representing less than 1% of the target protein. This makes studying endogenous protein acetylation extremely challenging. Recent reports suggest that several post-translational modifications (PTMs), including lysine acetylation, play a major role in the regulation the programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a clinically important protein target. An enrichment step is necessary to enable identification of the acetylated species by either antibody or mass spectrometry-based detection methods. This report describes a robust lab protocol for the enrichment and detection of endogenous acetylated PD-L1 protein. A recently developed acetyl lysine affinity matrix was utilized to enrich >90% of acetylated PD-L1 species, from a variety of cell lines, spanning a fourteen-fold range of target protein levels. Western blot analysis, using a highly sensitive PD-L1 antibody and optimized transfer times, was used to determine that the endogenous level of acetylated PD-L1 is in the range of 0.02–0.07% of total PD-L1. As validation, we demonstrate that acetylation levels increase to 0.11–0.17% of total PD-L1 after a 4h treatment with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). The method described here is simple to perform in any lab equipped with tissue culture and western blot equipment.

Abstract 5027: PTMcosmos: A web portal of post-translational modifications and proteogenomic resources in cancer

Abstract PTMcosmos is a comprehensive database with an interactive web portal designed to catalog and visualize post-translational modifications (PTMs) in humans. It contains 469,183 experimentally-validated PTM sites and their supporting evidence from UniProt Knowledge Base, PhosphoSitePlus, and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC). PTMcosmos summarizes the entire spectrum of CPTAC proteomics data on human cancer patients, including protein and PTM peptide abundance data from 10 different cancer types. Additionally, PTMcosmos contains cancer somatic mutations from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), thus allowing for the collective integration and analysis of different data types. In PTMcosmos, we have built an ensemble of interactive visualization tools that allow researchers to investigate altered PTM functions due to genetic alterations in close proximity. The database is live at https://ptmcosmos.wustl.edu. We used PTMcosmos to investigate PTM regulation across cancer types. First, we examined the differential abundance of the PTM sites of cancer driver genes, focusing primarily on phosphorylation of the tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein (encoded by RB1) and acetylation of the histone acetyltransferase E1A Binding Protein P300 (EP300) across cancer types. We analyzed the association between these PTM events and downstream targets, as well as with tumor subtypes, significantly mutated gene (SMG) mutation status, and clinical features. Second, we investigated the association of the protein abundance of cancer driver genes with ubiquitylsites in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) to nominate potentially novel modes of regulation of these proteins’ activities. We further analyzed the tumor subtype specificity and tumor-normal abundance changes of these ubiquitylsites and their corresponding substrate proteins, identifying several EGFR ubiquitylsites which may regulate EGFR abundance in LSCC. Finally, we identified the linear and spatial clustering of mutations and PTM sites, identifying multiple mutation-PTM clusters in cancer related genes, including TP53, PIK3CA, CTNNB1, EGFR, and IDH1. We envision that PTMcosmos will serve both the CPTAC consortium and the wider research community to better understand the role of PTMs in cancer. Citation Format: Liang-Bo Wang, Akshay Govindan, Song Cao, Li Ding. PTMcosmos: A web portal of post-translational modifications and proteogenomic resources in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5027.

Post-Translational Modifications of G Protein-Coupled Receptors Revealed by Proteomics and Structural Biology.

G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a protein superfamily comprising >800 members that regulate numerous cellular and physiologic responses. GPCRs represent the largest class of therapeutic targets with implications in various diseases. Although advances in GPCR structural and pharmacological research have significantly improved our knowledge of GPCR signaling mechanisms, mapping diverse post-translational modifications (PTMs) of GPCR proteins and understanding their regulatory roles have received much less attention. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has become the most popular technology for profiling protein PTMs in a systematic manner. Herein we provide an overview of PTM types, locations, crosstalk and dynamic regulation for different GPCRs that are characterized using proteomic and/or biochemical approaches. Our main focus is on glycosylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination and palmitoylation that are known to modulate receptor folding, biosynthesis, trafficking, dimerization and signaling. Furthermore, we discuss the locations of specific PTM sites in the structure of a given GPCR and its signaling complex to highlight the importance of PTM regulation in the molecular basis of GPCRs, which may shed new light on structure-based drug discovery.

Regulation of p53 Function by Formation of Non-Nuclear Heterologous Protein Complexes.

A transcription factor p53 is activated upon cellular exposure to endogenous and exogenous stresses, triggering either homeostatic correction or cell death. Depending on the stress level, often measurable as DNA damage, the dual outcome is supported by p53 binding to a number of regulatory and metabolic proteins. Apart from the nucleus, p53 localizes to mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and cytosol. We consider non-nuclear heterologous protein complexes of p53, their structural determinants, regulatory post-translational modifications and the role in intricate p53 functions. The p53 heterologous complexes regulate the folding, trafficking and/or action of interacting partners in cellular compartments. Some of them mainly sequester p53 (HSP proteins, G6PD, LONP1) or its partners (RRM2B, PRKN) in specific locations. Formation of other complexes (with ATP2A2, ATP5PO, BAX, BCL2L1, CHCHD4, PPIF, POLG, SOD2, SSBP1, TFAM) depends on p53 upregulation according to the stress level. The p53 complexes with SIRT2, MUL1, USP7, TXN, PIN1 and PPIF control regulation of p53 function through post-translational modifications, such as lysine acetylation or ubiquitination, cysteine/cystine redox transformation and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerization. Redox sensitivity of p53 functions is supported by (i) thioredoxin-dependent reduction of p53 disulfides, (ii) inhibition of the thioredoxin-dependent deoxyribonucleotide synthesis by p53 binding to RRM2B and (iii) changed intracellular distribution of p53 through its oxidation by CHCHD4 in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Increasing knowledge on the structure, function and (patho)physiological significance of the p53 heterologous complexes will enable a fine tuning of the settings-dependent p53 programs, using small molecule regulators of specific protein–protein interactions of p53.

Carboxypeptidase E Independently Changes Microtubule Glutamylation, Dendritic Branching, and Neuronal Migration.

Neuronal migration and dendritogenesis are dependent on dynamic changes to the microtubule (MT) network. Among various factors that regulate MT dynamics and stability, post-translational modifications (PTMs) of MTs play a critical role in conferring specificity of regulatory protein binding to MTs. Thus, it is important to understand the regulation of PTMs during brain development as multiple developmental processes are dependent on MTs. In this study, we identified that carboxypeptidase E (CPE) changes tubulin polyglutamylation, a major PTM in the brain, and we examine the impact of CPE-mediated changes to polyglutamylation on cortical neuron migration and dendrite morphology. We show, for the first time, that overexpression of CPE increases the level of polyglutamylated α-tubulin while knockdown decreases the level of polyglutamylation. We also demonstrate that CPE-mediated changes to polyglutamylation are dependent on the CPE zinc-binding motif and that this motif is necessary for CPE action on p150Glued localization. However, overexpression of a CPE mutant that does not increase MT glutamylation mimics the effects of overexpression of wild type CPE on dendrite branching. Furthermore, although overexpression of wild type CPE does not alter cortical neuron migration, overexpression of the mutant may act in a dominant-negative manner as it decreases the number of neurons that reach the cortical plate (CP), as we previously reported for CPE knockdown. Overall, our data suggest that CPE changes MT glutamylation and redistribution of p150Glued and that this function of CPE is independent of its role in shaping dendrite development but plays a partial role in regulating cortical neuron migration.

Rho GTPases: Non-canonical regulation by cysteine oxidation.

Rho GTPases are critically important and are centrally positioned regulators of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. By influencing the organization and architecture of the cytoskeleton, Rho proteins play prominent roles in many cellular processes including adhesion, migration, intra-cellular transportation, and proliferation. The most important method of Rho GTPase regulation is via the GTPase cycle; however, post-translational modifications (PTMs) also play critical roles in Rho protein regulation. Relative to other PTMs such as lipidation or phosphorylation that have been extensively characterized, protein oxidation is a regulatory PTM that has been poorly studied. Protein oxidation primarily occurs from the reaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), with amino acid side chain thiols on cysteine (Cys) and methionine (Met) residues. The versatile redox modifications of cysteine residues exemplify their integral role in cell signalling processes. Here we review prominent members of the Rho GTPase family and discuss how lipidation, phosphorylation, and oxidation on conserved cysteine residues affects their regulation and function.

Transient exposure of a buried phosphorylation site in an autoinhibited protein

Autoinhibition is a mechanism used to regulate protein function, often by making functional sites inaccessible through the interaction with a cis-acting inhibitory domain. Such autoinhibitory domains often display a substantial degree of structural disorder when unbound, and only become structured in the inhibited state. These conformational dynamics make it difficult to study the structural origin of regulation, including effects of regulatory post-translational modifications. Here, we study the autoinhibition of the Dbl Homology domain in the protein Vav1 by the so-called acidic inhibitory domain. We use molecular simulations to study the process by which a mostly unstructured inhibitory domain folds upon binding and how transient exposure of a key buried tyrosine residue makes it accessible for phosphorylation. We show that the inhibitory domain, which forms a helix in the bound and inhibited stated, samples helical structures already before binding and that binding occurs via a molten-globule-like intermediate state. Together, our results shed light on key interactions that enable the inhibitory domain to sample a finely tuned equilibrium between an inhibited and a kinase-accessible state.

Chemical methods for studying the crosstalk between histone H2B ubiquitylation and H3 methylation.

The reversible and dynamic post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones in eukaryotic chromatin are intimately connected to cell development and gene function, and abnormal regulation of PTMs can result in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Specific combinations of these modifications are mediated by a series of chromatin proteins that write, erase, and read the "histone codes," but mechanistic studies of the precise biochemical and structural relationships between different sets of modifications and their effects on chromatin function constitute a unique challenge to canonical biochemical approaches. In the past decade, the development and application of chemical methods for investigating histone PTM crosstalks has received considerable attention in the field of chemical biology. In this review, taking the functional crosstalk between H2B ubiquitylation at Lys120 (H2BK120ub) and H3 methylation at Lys79 (H3K79me) as a typical example, we survey recent developments of different chemical methods, in particular, protein synthetic chemistry and protein-based chemical probes, for studying the mechanism of the functional crosstalks of histone PTMs.

Contribution of Nε-lysine Acetylation towards Regulation of Bacterial Pathogenesis.

ABSTRACTNε-lysine acetylation is an important, dynamic regulatory posttranslational modification (PTM) that is common in bacteria. Protein acetylomes have been characterized for more than 30 different species, and it is known that acetylation plays important regulatory roles in many essential biological processes. The levels of acetylation are enzymatically controlled by the opposing actions of lysine acetyltransferases and deacetylases. In bacteria, a second mechanism of acetylation exists and occurs via an enzyme-independent manner using the secondary metabolite acetyl-phosphate. Nonenzymatic acetylation accounts for global low levels of acetylation. Recently, studies concerning the role of protein acetylation in bacterial virulence have begun. Acetylated virulence factors have been identified and further characterized. The roles of the enzymes that acetylate and deacetylate proteins in the establishment of infection and biofilm formation have also been investigated. In this review, we discuss the acetylomes of human bacterial pathogens. We highlight examples of known acetylated virulence proteins and examine how they affect survival in the host. Finally, we discuss how acetylation might influence host-pathogen interactions and look at the contribution of acetylation to antimicrobial resistance.

Assessing the Inhibitory Potential of Kinase Inhibitors In Vitro: Major Pitfalls and Suggestions for Improving Comparability of Data Using CK1 Inhibitors as an Example.

Phosphorylation events catalyzed by protein kinases represent one of the most prevalent as well as important regulatory posttranslational modifications, and dysregulation of protein kinases is associated with the pathogenesis of different diseases. Therefore, interest in developing potent small molecule kinase inhibitors has increased enormously within the last two decades. A critical step in the development of new inhibitors is cell-free in vitro testing with the intention to determine comparable parameters like the commonly used IC50 value. However, values described in the literature are often biased as experimental setups used for determination of kinase activity lack comparability due to different readout parameters, insufficient normalization or the sheer number of experimental approaches. Here, we would like to hold a brief for highly sensitive, radioactive-based in vitro kinase assays especially suitable for kinases exhibiting autophosphorylation activity. Therefore, we demonstrate a systematic workflow for complementing and validating results from high-throughput screening as well as increasing the comparability of enzyme-specific inhibitor parameters for radiometric as well as non-radiometric assays. Using members of the CK1 family of serine/threonine-specific protein kinases and established CK1-specific inhibitors as examples, we clearly demonstrate the power of our proposed workflow, which has the potential to support the generation of more comparable data for biological characterization of kinase inhibitors.

Understanding and Exploiting Post-Translational Modifications for Plant Disease Resistance.

Plants are constantly threatened by pathogens, so have evolved complex defence signalling networks to overcome pathogen attacks. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are fundamental to plant immunity, allowing rapid and dynamic responses at the appropriate time. PTM regulation is essential; pathogen effectors often disrupt PTMs in an attempt to evade immune responses. Here, we cover the mechanisms of disease resistance to pathogens, and how growth is balanced with defence, with a focus on the essential roles of PTMs. Alteration of defence-related PTMs has the potential to fine-tune molecular interactions to produce disease-resistant crops, without trade-offs in growth and fitness.

Abstract 16: Patterns and regulation of post translational modifications in cancer

Abstract Post-translational modifications (PTMs) (e.g., ubiquitylation, phosphorylation, acetylation) have been studied for their key role in cell signaling and in regulating cell physiology. Advances in mass spectrometry now enable measuring PTMs and studying their role and prevalence in cancer. Although most studies have focused on a single PTM and its impact on downstream signaling in a single cancer type, understanding PTM-driven commonalities, disparities, and their crosstalk across cancer types will be critical in understanding fundamental oncogenic principles governed by PTMs. Thus, we aim to understand the underlying patterns of PTMs in molecular signaling pathways shared across multiple cancer types by studying changes in protein acetylation and phosphorylation within the largest collection of in-depth genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and PTM profiles compiled from 11 cancer types generated across the CPTAC projects.We used matrix factorization methods to extract expression signatures jointly from transcriptomic, proteomic, and PTM data across multiple cancer types. Preliminary analysis of 6 tumor types identified 18 pan-cancer, multi-omic expression signatures. Characterization of these signatures using ranked gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and site-specific PTM signature enrichment analysis (PTM-SEA) highlighted pathways including DNA damage response, immune inactivation/deactivation, tumor invasiveness, and metabolic pathways. To investigate the effect of driver alterations on PPIs, we (i) compute rank correlations of pan-cancer mutational signatures to both expression levels and our multi-omic expression signatures, and (ii) map PTMs and mutations to available crystal structures. We additionally investigate mutations that recur across cancer types (e.g., TP53, PIK3CA, CTNNB1) and impact expression profiles of downstream PTMs. We further connect pan-cancer phosphoproteomic data to a library of biochemical specificities of the human kinome using a novel, unbiased computational platform that builds on extensive and experimentally validated kinase-substrate relationships. We identified activated and deactivated kinases/acetylases based on their altered PTM sites within and across the multi-omic subtypes and compared the effects on different targets. We also characterize the crosstalk between acetylation and phosphorylation across cancer, and, systematically identify acetylation events that prime and enhance kinase activity. Finally, we define kinases, acetylases, and PTM outliers as potential druggable targets (using The Drug Gene Interaction Database and DepMap). Overall, this study presents the landscape of PTMs across cancer and will serve as a community resource to promote a deeper understanding of PTM-governed processes leading to cancer progression, with the potential to improve current therapies or help design new treatment approaches against cancer. Citation Format: Yifat Geffen, Shankara Anand, Yo Akiyama, Tommer M. Yaron, Alexander Kerelsky, Jared L. Johnson, Karsten Krug, David Heiman, Shankha Satpathy, Karl Clauser, Michael Gillette, D. R. Mani, Chet Birger, Steven Carr, Lewis C. Cantley, Francois Aguet, Gad Getz, Oncogenic Drivers and Pathways Group, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC). Patterns and regulation of post translational modifications in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 16.

Dynamic posttranslational modifications of cytoskeletal proteins unveil hot spots under nitroxidative stress

The cytoskeleton is a supramolecular structure consisting of interacting protein networks that support cell dynamics in essential processes such as migration and division, as well as in responses to stress. Fast cytoskeletal remodeling is achieved with the participation of regulatory proteins and posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Redox-related PTMs are emerging as critical players in cytoskeletal regulation. Here we used a cellular model of mild nitroxidative stress in which a peroxynitrite donor induced transient changes in the organization of three key cytoskeletal proteins, i.e., vimentin, actin and tubulin. Nitroxidative stress-induced reconfiguration of intermediate filaments, microtubules and actin structures were further correlated with their PTM profiles and dynamics of the PTM landscape. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, 62 different PTMs were identified and relatively quantified in vimentin, actin and tubulin, including 12 enzymatic, 13 oxidative and 2 nitric oxide-derived modifications as well as 35 modifications by carbonylated lipid peroxidation products, thus evidencing the occurrence of a chain reaction with formation of numerous reactive species and activation of multiple signaling pathways. Our results unveil the presence of certain modifications under basal conditions and their modulation in response to stress in a target-, residue- and reactive species-dependent manner. Thus, some modifications accumulated during the experiment whereas others varied transiently. Moreover, we identified protein PTM “hot spots”, such as the single cysteine residue of vimentin, which was detected in seven modified forms, thus, supporting its role in PTM crosstalk and redox sensing. Finally, identification of novel PTMs in these proteins paves the way for unveiling new cytoskeleton regulatory mechanisms.

The Ubiquitin Proteasome System in Genome Stability and Cancer.

Simple SummaryGenomic instability is a major driving force of tumour development and evolution. Cells have developed sophisticated regulatory systems to preserve the stability of the genome and defects in these mechanisms can lead to the acquisition of mutations. In this review we look at the role of ubiquitination, a common post-translational modification, in the regulation of genomic integrity.Faithful DNA replication during cellular division is essential to maintain genome stability and cells have developed a sophisticated network of regulatory systems to ensure its integrity. Disruption of these control mechanisms can lead to loss of genomic stability, a key hallmark of cancer. Ubiquitination is one of the most abundant regulatory post-translational modifications and plays a pivotal role in controlling replication progression, repair of DNA and genome stability. Dysregulation of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) can contribute to the initiation and progression of neoplastic transformation. In this review we provide an overview of the UPS and summarize its involvement in replication and replicative stress, along with DNA damage repair. Finally, we discuss how the UPS presents as an emerging source for novel therapeutic interventions aimed at targeting genomic instability, which could be utilized in the treatment and management of cancer.