RQT complex dissociates ribosomes collided on endogenous RQC substrate SDD1
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ABSTRACT: Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) represents a rescue pathway in eukaryotic cells triggered upon translational stalling. Collided ribosomes are recognized for subsequent dissociation followed by degradation of nascent peptides. However, endogenous RQC-inducing sequences and the mechanism underlying the ubiquitin-dependent ribosome dissociation remain poorly understood. Here, we identified the SDD1 mRNA from S. cerevisiae as an endogenous RQC substrate and reveal its mRNA and nascent peptide dependent stalling mechanism by mutational and cryo-EM analyses. In vitro translation of SDD1 mRNA enabled the reconstitution of Hel2-dependent poly-ubiquitination of collided di- and preferentially tri-ribosomes. Distinct trisome architecture was visualized by cryo-EM and provides the structural basis for more efficient recognition by Hel2 over disomes. Subsequently, the Slh1 helicase subunit of the RQC trigger (RQT) complex preferentially dissociates the first stalled poly-ubiquitinated ribosome in an ATP-dependent manner. Together, these findings provide fundamental mechanistic insights into RQC and its physiological role in maintaining cellular protein homeostasis.
Project description:Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) represents a rescue pathway in eukaryotic cells triggered upon translational stalling. Collided ribosomes are recognized for subsequent dissociation followed by targeting of the faulty nascent peptides for degradation. However, endogenous RQC inducing sequences and the mechanism underlying the ubiquitin-dependent ribosome dissociation remain poorly understood. Here, we identified the SDD1 mRNA from S. cerevisiae as an endogenous RQC substrate and reveal its mRNA and nascent peptide dependent stalling mechanism by mutational and cryo-EM analyses. In vitro translation of SDD1 mRNA enabled the reconstitution of Hel2-dependent poly-ubiquitination of colliding di- and preferentially tri-ribosomes. Their distinct architecture is visualized by cryo-EM and provides the structural basis for more efficient recognition by Hel2 over disomes. Subsequently, the Slh1/Rqt2 helicase subunit of the RQC trigger (RQT) complex preferentially dissociates the first stalled poly-ubiquitinated ribosome in an ATP dependent manner. Together, these findings provide fundamental mechanistic insights into RQC and its physiological role in dealing with endogenous substrates to maintain cellular protein homeostasis.
Project description:Although many clinically important antibiotics inhibit bacterial ribosomes, the mechanisms by which bacterial cells rescue ribosomes stalled by antibiotics remain poorly understood. Ribosome stalling leads to collisions that recruit ribosome quality control (RQC) factors that recycle the ribosome subunits and target nascent proteins for degradation. Surprisingly, loss of known RQC factors in E. coli does not lead to significant antibiotic sensitivity, even though antibiotics stall ribosomes and induce collisions, suggesting the existence of additional, uncharacterized RQC mechanisms. Here we report a novel mechanism for ribosome quality control (RQC) in bacteria in which the DExH-box ATPase HrpA splits stalled ribosomes into subunits. HrpA selectively acts on collided ribosomes and its activity is dependent on ATP hydrolysis. The cryo-EM structure of HrpA bound to collided ribosomes reveals insight into its selectivity and mechanism: the C-terminal domain of HrpA senses the collision and its helicase domain bind mRNA downstream of the ribosomes, where it likely exerts a pulling force that destabilizes the stalled ribosome. These studies highlight the importance of ribosome splitting as a highly conserved RQC mechanism across all three domains of life and identify an important pathway in proteobacteria that allows proteobacteria to tolerate ribosome-targeting antibiotics.
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:Cells can respond to stalled ribosomes by sensing ribosome collisions and employing quality control pathways. How ribosome stalling is resolved without collisions, however, has remained elusive. Here, focusing on non-colliding stalling exhibited by decoding-defective ribosomes, we identified Fap1 as a stalling sensor triggering 18S non-functional rRNA decay via poly-ubiquitination of uS3. Ribosome profiling revealed an enrichment of Fap1 at the translation initiation site but also association with elongating individual ribosomes. Cryo-EM structures of Fap1-bound ribosomes elucidated Fap1 probing the mRNA simultaneously at both the entry and exit channels suggesting a mRNA stasis sensing activity, and Fap1 sterically hinders formation of canonical collided di-ribosomes. Our findings indicate that individual stalled ribosomes are the potential signal for ribosome dysfunction, leading to accelerated turnover of the ribosome itself.
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:Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathways monitor and respond to stalling of translating ribosomes. Using a newly developed technique based on in vivo UV crosslinking and mass spectrometry, we identify a C-terminal region in Hel2/Rqt1 as an RNA binding domain, with amino acids L501/K502 directly interacting with RNA. In vivo crosslinking of Hel2 revealed binding to 18S rRNA and translating mRNAs. Consistent with the 18S binding site located between mRNA entrance and exit channels, Hel2 preferentially bound mRNA both upstream and downstream of the termination codon. A C-terminal truncation that deleted L501/K502, abolished crosslinking to 18S rRNA, altered mRNA binding patterns, and reduced Hel2 function comparable to hel2∆. Asc1, also participates in RQC and ASC1 deletion impaired Hel2 18S and mRNA binding. We conclude that Hel2 is recruited or stabilized on translating 40S ribosomal subunits by interactions with 18S rRNA and Asc1. Ribosome-bound Hel2 interacts with mRNA, predominately during translation termination.
Project description:Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathways monitor and respond to stalling of translating ribosomes. Using a newly developed technique based on in vivo UV crosslinking and mass spectrometry, we identify a C-terminal region in Hel2/Rqt1 as an RNA binding domain, with amino acids L501/K502 directly interacting with RNA. In vivo crosslinking of Hel2 revealed binding to 18S rRNA and translating mRNAs. Consistent with the 18S binding site located between mRNA entrance and exit channels, Hel2 preferentially bound mRNA both upstream and downstream of the termination codon. A C-terminal truncation that deleted L501/K502, abolished crosslinking to 18S rRNA, altered mRNA binding patterns, and reduced Hel2 function comparable to hel2∆. Asc1, also participates in RQC and ASC1 deletion impaired Hel2 18S and mRNA binding. We conclude that Hel2 is recruited or stabilized on translating 40S ribosomal subunits by interactions with 18S rRNA and Asc1. Ribosome-bound Hel2 interacts with mRNA, predominately during translation termination.
Project description:Ribosome stalling at problematic sequences in mRNAs leads to collisions that trigger a collection of quality control events including ribosome rescue, targeting the nascent polypeptide for decay (Ribosome-mediated Quality Control or RQC), and targeting of the mRNA for decay (No Go Decay or NGD). Using a reverse genetic screen in yeast, we identify Cue2 as the endonuclease that is recruited to stalled ribosomes to promote NGD. Following Cue2-mediated cleavage, ribosomes upstream of the cleavage site translate to the end of the truncated mRNA and are rescued by the Dom34:Hbs1 complex. We also show that the putative helicase Slh1 (part of the RQC Trigger or RQT complex) removes collided ribosomes behind the lead stalled ribosome and thereby reduces endonucleolytic cleavage by Cue2. The synergistic activities of Cue2 and Slh1 define two parallel pathways that allow cells to recognize and respond to ribosomes trapped on problematic mRNAs.
Project description:Ribosome rescue pathways recycle stalled ribosomes and target problematic mRNAs and aborted proteins for degradation. In bacteria, it remains unclear how rescue pathways distinguish ribosomes stalled in the middle of a transcript from actively translating ribosomes. In a genetic screen in E. coli, we discovered a novel rescue factor that has endonuclease activity. SmrB cleaves mRNAs upstream of stalled ribosomes, allowing the ribosome rescue factor tmRNA (which acts on truncated mRNA) to rescue upstream ribosomes. SmrB is recruited by ribosome collisions. Cryo-EM structures of collided disomes from E. coli and B. subtilis reveal interactions between the 30S subunits and a possible SmrB binding site. These findings show that ribosome collisions trigger ribosome rescue in bacteria and reveal the mechanism by which this occurs.
Project description:Ribosome stalling occurring on aberrant mRNA activates quality control pathways to maintain proteostasis. Recently, ribosome stalling has also been linked to the activation of Gcn2 and the subsequent integrated-stress response (ISR). How the two processes are coordinated is not completely clear. Here we show that activation of ribosome-quality control by Hel2 suppresses that of Gcn2 in yeast. In the absence of Hel2, we observe a gene-expression signature indicative of ISR activation, suggesting that factor is used to suppress premature activation of Gcn2 in the absence of stress conditions. We further show that Hel2 and Gcn2 are activated by similar set of agents that cause ribosome stalling, with Hel2’s maximal activation occurring at lower frequency of stalling. Interestingly, inactivation of one pathway was found to result in the overactivation of the other, suggesting that both are activated by the same signal. Indeed, we provide evidence that suggests that, similar to Hel2, Gcn2 is activated by ribosome collisions. Collectively, our findings provide interesting details about how the multiple pathways that recognize stalled ribosomes coordinate to mount the appropriate response.