Cyclisation of Lys48-linked diubiquitin in vitro and in vivo.

Ubiquitin (Ub) is able to form polymeric isopeptide-linked chains through condensation of any of its seven lysine (Lys) residues with the C-terminus of an adjacent Ub monomer. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of commercial in vitro-generated Lys48-linked di-Ub (Lys48-Ub(2)) revealed a major population of cyclised dimer. The absence of a free C-terminus in this population was confirmed by an inability to bind the zinc finger ubiquitin-binding domain (ZnF-UBP) of USP5/isopeptidase-T. Endogenous Ub(2) purified from skeletal muscle and cultured mammalian cells was found to contain cyclic Lys48-Ub(2), demonstrating that cyclisation of poly-Ub can also occur in vivo.