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Q2N and S65D Substitutions of Ubiquitin Unravel Functional Significance of the Invariant Residues Gln2 and Ser65

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Abstract

Ubiquitin is a small, globular protein, structure of which has been perfected and conserved through evolution to manage diverse functions in the macromolecular metabolism of eukaryotic cells. Several non-homologous proteins interact with ubiquitin through entirely different motifs. Though the roles of lysines in the multifaceted functions of ubiquitin are well documented, very little is known about the contribution of other residues. In the present study, the importance of two invariant residues, Gln2 and Ser65, have been examined by substituting them with Asn and Asp, respectively, generating single residue variants of ubiquitin UbQ2N and UbS65D. Gln2 and Ser65 form part of parallel G1 β-bulge adjacent to Lys63, a residue involved in DNA repair, cell-cycle regulated protein synthesis and imparting resistance to protein synthesis inhibitors. The secondary structure of variants is similar to that of UbF45W, a structural homologue of wild-type ubiquitin (UbWt). However, there are certain functional differences observed in terms of resistance to cycloheximide, while there are no major differences pertaining to growth under normal conditions, adherence to N-end rule and survival under heat stress. Further, expression of UbQ2N impedes protein degradation by ubiquitin fusion degradation (UFD) pathway. Such differential responses with respect to functions of ubiquitin produced by mutations may be due to interference in the interactions of ubiquitin with selected partner proteins, hint at biomedical implications.

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Acknowledgments

C.R.P. thanks the University Grants Commission, India, for the research grant. The said author is grateful to Prof. Mark Searle and Prof. Daniel Finley for providing plasmids and strains necessary for the study. The author acknowledges the help received from her students Brinda Panchamia and Mrinal Sharma in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390002, India

    Pradeep Mishra & C. Ratna Prabha

  2. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Habsiguda, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India

    Ch. Mohan Rao & Srinivas Volety

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  1. Pradeep Mishra
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  2. C. Ratna Prabha
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Correspondence to C. Ratna Prabha.

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Mishra, P., Ratna Prabha, C., Rao, C.M. et al. Q2N and S65D Substitutions of Ubiquitin Unravel Functional Significance of the Invariant Residues Gln2 and Ser65. Cell Biochem Biophys 61, 619–628 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-011-9247-8

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