Project description:Translation elongation stalling has the potential to produce toxic truncated protein fragments. Translation of either non-stop mRNA or transcripts coding for poly-basic sequences induces ribosome stalling, and the arrest product is degraded by the ribosome-mediated quality control (RQC) system. During this process, the stalled ribosome is dissociated into subunits, and the polypeptide is ubiquitinated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Listerin on the 60S large ribosomal subunit, leading to subsequent proteasomal degradation. However, it is largely unknown how the specific stalled ribosomes are recognized as aberrant to engage the RQC system. Here, we report that ubiquitination of the ribosomal protein uS10 of the 40S small ribosomal subunit, by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Hel2 (or RQC-trigger (Rqt) 1) initiates RQC. We identified a novel RQC-trigger (RQT) complex composed of the RNA helicase-family protein Slh1/Rqt2, the ubiquitin binding protein Cue3/Rqt3, and yKR023W/Rqt4 that is required for RQC. The defects in RQC of the RQT mutants correlated with sensitivity to anisomycin, which stalls ribosome at the rotated form, suggesting that RQT factors rescue ribosomes stalled by this drug. Our un-biased survey by ribosome profiling revealed that ribosomes stalled at the rotated state with specific pairs of codons at P-A sites serve as RQC substrates. Rqt1 specifically ubiquitinates these arrested ribosomes to target them to the RQT complex, allowing subsequent RQC reactions including dissociation of the stalled ribosome into subunits. Our results provide mechanistic insight into the surveillance system for aberrant proteins induced by ribosome stalling and mediated by ribosome ubiquitination.
Project description:Translation elongation rates are regulated to ensure proper conformation and biological function of proteins. Translation of either non-stop mRNA or transcripts coding for poly-basic sequences induces ribosome stalling, and the arrest product is degraded by the ribosome-mediated quality control system (RQC). During this process, the stalled ribosome is dissociated into subunits, and the polypeptide is ubiquitinated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Listerin on the 60S large ribosomal subunit (LSU) leading to subsequent proteasomal degradation. However, it is largely unknown how stalled ribosomes are recognized and dissociated into subunits. Here we report that ubiquitination of the ribosomal protein uS10 by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Hel2 is required for the production of the RQC substrate. RQC-trigger (RQT) factors, a RNA helicase-family protein Slh1/Rqt2, ubiquitin binding protein Cue3/Rqt3 and yKR023W/Rqt4, were also required for the primary steps of RQC, and associated with Hel2-ribosome complexes. Rqt2-4 factors were dispensable for the ubiquitination of uS10 by Hel2/Rqt1 and associated with ribosomes independent of the ubiquitination of uS10. However, the ubiquitin-binding activity of Rqt3 were crucial to trigger RQC. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis revealed that Hel2 bound ribosomes are in an rotated state containing hybrid state AP- and PE-tRNAs. Furthermore, ribosome profiling revealed that short footprints, hallmarks of hybrid state ribosomes18, were accumulated at tandem CGA rare codons at the beginning of the poly arginine stalling sequence and long footprints at subsequent codons, respectively. Short footprints at CGA codons were decreased in rqt1 mutant but drastically increased in uS10 mutants defective in the ubiquitination or rqt2 mutant. Collectively, our results demonstrate that Hel2 stabilizes ratcheted ribosomes leading to ubiquitination of uS10. Subsequently, Rqt2-4 factors target these hybrid state ribosomes specifically, allowing subsequent RQC reactions.