1. Ring finger protein 145 (RNF145) is a ubiquitin ligase for sterol-induced degradation of HMG-CoA reductase
- Author
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Wei Jiang, Yan Ni Xiong, Na Tian, Jie Liu, Kai Yue Wu, Jian Wei, Jie Luo, Lu Yi Jiang, Bao-Liang Song, and Xiongjie Shi
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,CHO Cells ,Reductase ,Endoplasmic Reticulum ,Biochemistry ,Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ,Small hairpin RNA ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cricetulus ,Cricetinae ,Animals ,Humans ,Molecular Biology ,biology ,Ubiquitin ,Chemistry ,Endoplasmic reticulum ,Chinese hamster ovary cell ,Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ,Ubiquitination ,Membrane Proteins ,Cell Biology ,Lipids ,Sterol ,Ubiquitin ligase ,Cell biology ,Receptors, Autocrine Motility Factor ,RING finger domain ,Sterols ,030104 developmental biology ,Proteolysis ,HMG-CoA reductase ,biology.protein ,Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases ,lipids (amino acids, peptides, and proteins) - Abstract
Cholesterol biosynthesis is tightly regulated in the cell. For example, high sterol concentrations can stimulate degradation of the rate-limiting cholesterol biosynthetic enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase, HMGCR). HMGCR is broken down by the endoplasmic reticulum membrane–associated protein complexes consisting of insulin-induced genes (Insigs) and the E3 ubiquitin ligase gp78. Here we found that HMGCR degradation is partially blunted in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells lacking gp78 (gp78-KO). To identify other ubiquitin ligase(s) that may function together with gp78 in triggering HMGCR degradation, we performed a small-scale short hairpin RNA–based screening targeting endoplasmic reticulum–localized E3s. We found that knockdown of both ring finger protein 145 (Rnf145) and gp78 genes abrogates sterol-induced degradation of HMGCR in CHO cells. We also observed that RNF145 interacts with Insig-1 and -2 proteins and ubiquitinates HMGCR. Moreover, the tetrapeptide sequence YLYF in the sterol-sensing domain and the Cys-537 residue in the RING finger domain were essential for RNF145 binding to Insigs and RNF145 E3 activity, respectively. Of note, amino acid substitutions in the YLYF or of Cys-537 completely abolished RNF145-mediated HMGCR degradation. In summary, our study reveals that RNF145, along with gp78, promotes HMGCR degradation in response to elevated sterol levels and identifies residues essential for RNF145 function.
- Published
- 2018