Drosophila ubiquitin-specific peptidase 14 stabilizes the PERIOD protein by regulating a ubiquitin ligase SLIMB.

ABSTRACT: The circadian clock orchestrates behavior and physiology through the oscillation of key clock proteins like PERIOD (PER). Here, we investigate the role of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 14 (USP14) in modulating PER stability and circadian rhythms in Drosophila. We find that overexpression of USP14 in clock cells reduces PER protein levels without altering its mRNA levels whereas USP14 knockdown increases PER protein levels, suggesting that USP14 regulates PER post-translationally. Interestingly, despite these alterations in PER levels, neither USP14 overexpression nor knockdown significantly impacts circadian behavioral rhythms, likely because of slight effects on PER levels in small ventral lateral neurons (sLN_vs). Further analysis shows that USP14 physically interacts with Super

SUBMITTER: Kang SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11805992 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature