Biology subjects

Khmelinskii, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Khmelinskii, A..

10 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Molecular basis for C-degron recognition by the SCFDas1 ubiquitin ligase

Selective protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system frequently involves substrate recognition via short linear motifs known as degradation signals or degrons. Whereas degrons located at protein N-termini (N-degrons) have been extensively studied, our understanding of C-terminal degrons (C-degrons) is comparatively limited. Previously, we showed that the yeast SCF ubiquitin ligase and one of its substrate receptor subunits, the F-box protein Das1, target a broad range of C-degrons and implicated SCFDas1 in orphan quality control. Here, we sought to determine how Das1 recognizes its substrates. By combining in vivo competition assays with structural modeling and mutational analysis, we demonstrate that distinct C-degrons compete for a common site on Das1, indicating a shared mode of recognition. We identify a positively charged pocket within the Das1 leucine-rich repeat domain as the C-degron binding site. Three basic residues at the base of this pocket are essential for Das1 function, likely mediating electrostatic interactions with the C-terminal carboxyl group of the degron, while additional residues contribute to substrate specificity. Comparative analysis reveals that this pocket and its function are conserved across the Saccharomycetaceae family, supporting a conserved role for Das1 in protein quality control.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2025

Bidirectional control of a metabolic transition by the GID ubiquitin ligase

The GID/CTLH ubiquitin ligase is a multisubunit E3 conserved across eukaryotes. GID/CTLH has been implicated in a variety of processes, including metabolic regulation, cell proliferation, embryonic development and cell differentiation. However, our understanding of substrate recognition by GID/CTLH remains incomplete. Here, we characterize the regulation, specificity and functions of the putative substrate receptor Gid11 in budding yeast. We find that upon its expression during the switch of carbon source from glucose to ethanol, Gid11 associates with the core GID complex, likely forming a large ring assembly. Through systematic mutagenesis, we identify a negatively charged pocket on Gid11 that binds substrates carrying N-terminal degrons starting with threonine and define the Thr/N-degron motif. Such Thr/N-degrons are exposed upon co-translational removal of the initiator methionine, while escaping N-terminal acetylation. Finally, we show that during the switch to ethanol, GIDGid11 targets for degradation factors linked to glycolysis, opposing the established role of GID in the degradation of gluconeogenic enzymes during the reverse switch from ethanol to glucose. Taken together, our results establish Gid11 as a bona fide GID substrate receptor and highlight GID as a regulator of metabolic transitions.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Genome-wide conditional degron libraries for functional genomics

The yeast knockout library, comprised of strains carrying precise deletions of individual open reading frames (ORFs), has been a vital resource to understand gene function. However, accumulation of suppressor mutations in knockout strains can lead to erroneous functional annotations. Moreover, the library is limited to non-essential ORFs, and must be complemented with hypomorphic alleles of essential ORFs for genome- wide studies. To address these limitations, we constructed genome-wide libraries of conditional alleles based on the auxin-inducible degron (AID) system for conditional degradation of AID-tagged proteins. First, we determined that N-terminal tagging is at least twice more likely to inadvertently impair protein function across the proteome. We thus constructed two genome-wide libraries with over 5600 essential and non-essential proteins fused at the C-terminus with an AID tag and an optional fluorescent protein. Almost 90% of AID- tagged proteins were degraded in the presence of the auxin analog 5-Ph-IAA, with initial protein abundance and tag accessibility as limiting factors. Genome-wide screens for DNA damage response factors with the AID libraries revealed a role for the glucose signaling factor GSF2 in resistance to hydroxyurea, highlighting how these resources extend the toolbox for functional genomics in yeast.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Orphan quality control by an SCF ubiquitin ligase directed to pervasive C-degrons

Selective protein degradation typically involves substrate recognition via short linear motifs known as degrons. Various degrons can be found at protein termini from bacteria to mammals. While N-degrons have been extensively studied, our understanding of C-degrons is still limited. Towards a comprehensive understanding of eukaryotic C-degron pathways, we performed an unbiased survey of C-degrons in budding yeast. We identified over 5000 potential C-degrons by stability profiling of random peptide libraries and of the yeast C-terminome. Combining machine learning, high-throughput mutagenesis and genetic screens revealed that the SCF ubiquitin ligase targets [~]40% of degrons using a single F-box substrate receptor Das1. Although sequence-specific, Das1 is highly promiscuous, recognizing a variety of C-degron motifs. By screening for endogenous substrates, we implicate SCFDas1 in degradation of orphan protein complex subunits. Altogether, this work provides a comprehensive view of a eukaryotic C-degronome and uncovers how an SCF/C-degron pathway of broad specificity contributes to proteostasis.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Multi-scale Assessment of Brain Blood Volume and Perfusion in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Amyloidosis

Vascular dysfunction is increasingly recognized to play a role in the development of Alzheimers disease (AD). The relation between vascular dysfunction and the neuropathological amyloid {beta} accumulation characteristic for AD is however unclear. The limited resolution of in vivo imaging techniques, the intricate 3D structure of the microvasculature and the different co-occurring types of amyloid {beta} accumulation in patients hamper studying this relation in patients. Here, we therefore employed the APP/PS1 mouse model, which develops parenchymal amyloid {beta} plaques, to study the effect of parenchymal amyloid {beta} plaques on the structure and function of the vasculature. Blood vessels and amyloid {beta} plaques were fluorescently labeled in vivo with lectin-DyLight594 and methoxy XO4, respectively, in APP/PS1 mice at old age. The brain tissue was cleared post-mortem with the CUBIC clearing protocol, which allowed structural imaging at microscopic resolution of the vessels and plaques in a large 3D volume. Segmentation of the vasculature enabled mapping of the microvascular Cerebral Blood Volume (mCBV), which ranged from 2 % to 5 % in the white matter and the thalamus, respectively. No mCBV differences were observed between APP/PS1 mice and wild type (WT) control mice. The effect of the amyloid {beta} plaques on vascular function was studied in vivo by measuring Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Arterial Transit Time (ATT) with Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) MRI. Similar to the mCBV findings, no differences were observed in CBF or ATT between APP/PS1 and control mice, indicating that brain vascular morphology and function in this mouse model are preserved in the presence of amyloid {beta} plaques.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Genetic requirements for repair of lesions caused by single genomic ribonucleotides in S phase

Single ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) are transiently present in eukaryotic genomes. The RNase H2-dependent ribonucleotide excision repair (RER) pathway ensures error-free genomic rNMP removal. In pathological conditions, genomic rNMP levels can rise and persist. If these rNMPs hydrolyse in, or prior to, S phase, toxic single-ended double-strand breaks (seDSBs) can occur upon an encounter with replication forks. How such rNMP-derived seDSB lesions are repaired is unclear. We employed a cell cycle phase restricted allele of RNase H2 as a genetic tool to induce nicks at rNMPs specifically in S phase to generate such lesions and study their repair. Here, we introduce a network of genes that maintain DNA integrity when rNMP-derived nick lesions arise during DNA replication. We use genetic methods to characterise the molecular requirements of a Top1-independent, rNMP-derived nick lesion repair (NLR). In NLR, the RAD52 epistasis group becomes essential for homology-directed repair (HDR). Moreover, the previously described Rtt101Mms1-Mms22 dependent ubiquitylation of histone H3 is essential for NLR in cells with high rNMP load, and loss of Rtt101Mms1-Mms22 combined with RNase H2 dysfunction leads to compromised cellular fitness. We discuss the genetic NLR network in the context of human disease, where cancer therapies may be able to exploit these synthetic lethalities.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

Mechanisms of up-regulation of Ubiquitin-Proteasome activity in the absence of NatA dependent N-terminal acetylation

N-terminal acetylation is a prominent protein modification and inactivation of N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs) cause protein homeostasis stress. Using multiplexed protein stability (MPS) profiling with linear ubiquitin fusions as reporters for the activity of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) we observed increased UPS activity in NatA, but not NatB or NatC mutants. We find several mechanisms contributing to this behavior. First, NatA-mediated acetylation of the N-terminal ubiquitin independent degron regulates the abundance of Rpn4, the master regulator of the expression of proteasomal genes. Second, the abundance of several E3 ligases involved in degradation of UFD substrates is increased in cells lacking NatA. Finally, we identify the E3 ligase Tom1 as a novel chain elongating enzyme (E4) involved in the degradation of linear ubiquitin fusions via the formation of branched K11 and K29 ubiquitin chains, independently of the known E4 ligases involved in UFD, leading to enhanced ubiquitination of the UFD substrates.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

SWR1 Chromatin Remodeling Complex Prevents Mitotic Slippage during Spindle Position Checkpoint Arrest

Faithful chromosome segregation in budding yeast requires correct positioning of the mitotic spindle along the mother to daughter cell polarity axis. When the anaphase spindle is not correctly positioned, a surveillance mechanism, named as the spindle position checkpoint (SPOC), prevents the progression out of mitosis until correct spindle positioning is achieved. How SPOC works on a molecular level is not well-understood. Here, we performed a genome-wide genetic screen to search for components required for SPOC. We identified the SWR1 chromatin-remodeling complex (SWR1-C) among the several novel factors that are essential for SPOC integrity. Cells lacking SWR1-C were able to activate SPOC upon spindle misorientation but underwent mitotic slippage upon prolonged SPOC arrest. This mitotic slippage required the Cdc14-early anaphase release pathway and other factors including the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex, proteasome components, the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Sic1 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase Slt2/Mpk1. Together, our data establish a novel link between chromatin remodeling and robust checkpoint arrest in late anaphase. AUTHORS SUMMARYBefore it physically divides into two, the cell must duplicate its genetic material and separate the duplicated copies to the opposite poles of the cell with the help of the spindle machinery. The direction along which the genetic material is separated has different consequences on cell division, especially when the opposite poles of the cell differ from each other, as is the case of asymmetric cell division. Every cell division in budding yeast is asymmetric. The new (daughter) cell grows on the old (mother) cell and pinches of from this location at the end of the cell division, giving rise to a new and an old cell. The daughter and mother cells differ in size and composition, thus the cell division is asymmetric. In order for the daughter cell to receive one copy of the duplicated genetic material, budding yeast has to separate the copies of its genetic material along the mother to daughter cell direction, which is possible by placing the spindle apparatus along this direction. A surveillance mechanism named the Spindle Position Checkpoint (SPOC) in budding yeast monitors the position of the mitotic spindle and prevents cells from dividing if the spindle fails to align in the mother to daughter direction. The cell can resume cell division only after correcting the position of the spindle followed by inactivation of SPOC. This way SPOC prevents multi-nucleation and enucleation, and hence it is a crucial mechanism to maintain the correct ploidy. It has been known that about five proteins play a role in positively supporting the SPOC. Yet, how SPOC works on a molecular level remains ill understood. In this study, we aimed to find out novel components of SPOC. Through an unbiased genome-wide genetic screen, we successfully identified several new components of the SPOC machinery. Among several other novel proteins identified, we investigated the role of the SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex (SWR1-C) in more detail. We show that the SWR1-C has a function in preventing cells with mis-positioned spindles from resuming cell division when the spindle stays mis-positioned for a prolonged time (mitotic slippage). Our data indicated that SWR1-C is not required to start the immediate SPOC response, rather it is important to keep the prolonged SPOC arrest.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc13-Mms2 cooperates with a family of FYVE-type-RING ubiquitin protein ligases in K63-polyubiquitylation at internal membranes

The heterodimeric ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), Ubc13-Mms2, catalyses K63-specific polyubiquitylation in genome maintenance and inflammatory signalling. In budding yeast, the only ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) known to cooperate with Ubc13-Mms2 so far is a nuclear RING finger protein, Rad5, involved in the replication of damaged DNA. We have now identified a family of membrane-associated FYVE-(type)-RING finger proteins as cognate E3s for Ubc13-Mms2 in several species. We show that budding yeast Pib1, a FYVE-RING finger E3 associated with internal membranes, exhibits exquisite selectivity for Ubc13-Mms2 and cooperates with the E2 in the multivesicular body pathway. Phenotypic analysis indicates that the contribution of Ubc13-Mms2 to membrane trafficking goes beyond its cooperation with Pib1, suggesting an involvement with additional E3s in the endocytic compartment. These results widely implicate Ubc13-Mms2 in the regulation of membrane protein sorting.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2017

A genome-wide resource for high-throughput genomic tagging of yeast ORFs

Here we describe a C-SWAT library for high-throughput tagging of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ORFs. It consists of 5661 strains with an acceptor module inserted after each ORF, which can be efficiently replaced with tags or regulatory elements. We validate the library with targeted sequencing and demonstrate its use by tagging the yeast proteome with bright fluorescent proteins, determining how sequences downstream of ORFs influence protein expression and localizing previously undetected proteins.

genomics↗