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.
Project description:The ribosome is a translational apparatus that comprises about 80 ribosomal proteins and four rRNAs. Recent studies reported that ubiquitination of the ribosomal proteins plays a pivotal role in translational control and ribosome-associated quality control (RQC). However, little is known about the dynamics of ribosome ubiquitination under complex biological processes of multicellular organisms. To study ribosome ubiquitination during animal development, we generated a zebrafish strain that expresses a FLAG-tagged ribosomal protein Rpl36/eL36 from its endogenous locus. Combining affinity purification of ribosomes from rpl36-FLAG zebrafish embryos with immunoblotting analysis, we analyzed ribosome ubiquitination during zebrafish development. Our data showed that ubiquitination of ribosomal proteins dynamically changed as development proceeded. We further revealed that Znf598, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that triggers RQC, contributed to the ribosome ubiquitination during zebrafish development. LC-MS/MS analysis and immunoblotting analysis identified lysines 139 of ribosomal protein Rps10/eS10 as pivotal ubiquitination sites on the ribosome during development. Finally, we demonstrated that an Rps10 K139/140R mutation reduced overall ribosome ubiquitination pattern. Collectively, these results reveal dynamics and complexity of ribosome ubiquitination in zebrafish development.
Project description:Maintaining the integrity of nucleic acids is an essential feature of all organisms. Unwanted modification of DNA, if left unrepaired, is deleterious to cellular homeostasis and could have far-reaching consequences that include genomic instability and accumulation of mutations. Similarly, accumulation of damaged RNA has been correlated with various neurodegenerative diseases. Given their inherent reactivity, nucleic acids are susceptible to damage from both endogenous and exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as alkylation agents. We have recently begun to address how some of these modifications on mRNA impact the function of the ribosome and in particular the decoding process. We find that most modifications severely change the speed and accuracy of translation. These observations revealed that oxidation of RNA is most likely to stall the ribosome and necessitates the presence of quality-control processes to handle damaged mRNA. To this end, we have uncovered a connection between the process of no-go decay (NGD), which degrades mRNAs that stall translation, and chemical insults. In the absence of key NGD factors in yeast, the levels of damaged mRNA significantly increase and cells are rendered sensitive to oxidizing and alkylation agents. Furthermore, these agents activate ribosome quality control (RQC) of nascent peptides. Deletion of the E3 ligase responsible for the ubiquitination of the nascent peptides resulted in the accumulation of protein aggregates in the presence of oxidizing and alkylating agents. These observations suggest that chemical damage stalls translation, activating NGD and RQC. Interestingly, the addition of nucleic-acids-damaging agents was also found to result in K63-linked ubiquitination of ribosomal proteins. This signaling-mode of ubiquitination precedes DNA-damage marks, indicating that cells respond to RNA damage due to stalled ribosomes before DNA damage. Collectively our data highlights the burden of chemically-damaged mRNA on cellular homeostasis and suggests that organisms evolved ribosome-based mRNA-surveillance processes to rapidly degrade it.
Project description:Translation of damaged mRNA can lead to ribosome stalling, thereby producing incomplete proteins toxic to the cell. The mechanism of ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) disassembles stalled ribosomes through the actions of the ASC-1 complex (ASCC). Here, we show that some reagents that chemically damage RNA, such as ultraviolet light (UV), cause ribosome stalling, which leads to accumulation of the ASC-1 complex (ASCC) on stalled ribosomes and stable interaction of the ASCC3 helicase with RNA. In contrast, the ASCC was not similarly affected by emetine or anisomycin-induced ribosome stalling. Our work identified two different types of stalled ribosome. Ribosomes arrested by emetine or anisomycin are transient as they are resolved by the ASCC. Whereas the ASCC fails to split some stalled ribosomes, such as those induced by UV, resulting in long-lived stalled ribosome complexes. We show that ribosome stalling activates the G1/S and G2/M cell cycle checkpoints with long-lived stalled ribosomes causing prolonged checkpoint activation. Thus, the cell adjusts this adaptive survival response to match the nature of the stalled ribosome.
Project description:Translation of damaged mRNA can lead to ribosome stalling, thereby producing incomplete proteins toxic to the cell. The mechanism of ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) disassembles stalled ribosomes through the actions of the ASC-1 complex (ASCC). Here, we show that some reagents that chemically damage RNA, such as ultraviolet light (UV), cause ribosome stalling, which leads to accumulation of the ASC-1 complex (ASCC) on stalled ribosomes and stable interaction of the ASCC3 helicase with RNA. In contrast, the ASCC was not similarly affected by emetine or anisomycin-induced ribosome stalling. Our work identified two different types of stalled ribosome. Ribosomes arrested by emetine or anisomycin are transient as they are resolved by the ASCC. Whereas the ASCC fails to split some stalled ribosomes, such as those induced by UV, resulting in long-lived stalled ribosome complexes. We show that ribosome stalling activates the G1/S and G2/M cell cycle checkpoints with long-lived stalled ribosomes causing prolonged checkpoint activation. Thus, the cell adjusts this adaptive survival response to match the nature of the stalled ribosome.