A d-Amino Acid at the N-Terminus of a Protein Abrogates Its Degradation by the N-End Rule Pathway
Author(s)
Rabideau, Amy; Pentelute, Bradley L.
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Eukaryotes have evolved the ubiquitin (Ub)/proteasome system to degrade polypeptides. The Ub/proteasome system is one way that cells regulate cytosolic protein and amino acids levels through the recognition and ubiquitination of a protein’s N-terminus via E1, E2, and E3 enzymes. The process by which the N-terminus stimulates intracellular protein degradation is referred to as the N-end rule. Characterization of the N-end rule has been limited to only the natural l-amino acids. Using a cytosolic delivery platform derived from anthrax lethal toxin, we probed the stability of mixed chirality proteins, containing one d-amino acid on the N-terminus of otherwise all l-proteins. In all cases, we observed that one N-terminal d-amino acid stabilized the cargo protein to proteasomal degradation with respect to the N-end rule. We found that since the mixed chirality proteins were not polyubiquitinated, they evaded N-end-mediated proteasomal degradation. Evidently, a subtle change on the N-terminus of a natural protein can enhance its intracellular lifetime.
Date issued
2015-11Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of ChemistryJournal
ACS Central Science
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Citation
Rabideau, Amy E., and Bradley L. Pentelute. “A d-Amino Acid at the N-Terminus of a Protein Abrogates Its Degradation by the N-End Rule Pathway.” ACS Central Science 1.8 (2015): 423–430. © 2015 American Chemical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
2374-7943
2374-7951