The ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 (interferon-stimulated gene 15) regulates the host response to bacterial and viral infections through its conjugation to proteins (ISGylation) following interferon production. ISGylation is antagonized by the highly specific cysteine protease USP18, which is the major deISGylating enzyme. However, mechanisms underlying USP18's extraordinary specificity towards ISG15 remains elusive. Here, we show that USP18 interacts with its paralog USP41, whose catalytic domain shares 97% identity with USP18. However, USP41 does not act as a deISGylase, which led us to perform a comparative analysis to decipher the basis for this difference, revealing molecular determinants of USP18's specificity towards ISG15. We found that USP18 C-terminus, as well as a conserved Leucine at position 198, are essential for its enzymatic activity and likely act as functional surfaces based on AlphaFold predictions. Finally, we propose that USP41 antagonizes conjugation of the understudied ubiquitin-like protein FAT10 (HLA-F adjacent transcript 10) from substrates in a catalytic-independent manner. Altogether, our results offer new insights into USP18's specificity towards ISG15, while identifying USP41 as a negative regulator of FAT10 conjugation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.28.596309 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, USA.
Ubiquitin-specific protease 18 (USP18) is a multifunctional cysteine protease primarily responsible for deconjugating the interferon-inducible ubiquitin-like modifier ISG15 from protein substrates. Here, we report the design and synthesis of activity-based probes (ABPs) that incorporate unnatural amino acids into the C-terminal tail of ISG15, enabling the selective detection of USP18 activity over other ISG15 cross-reactive deubiquitinases (DUBs) such as USP5 and USP14. Combined with a ubiquitin-based DUB ABP, the USP18 ABP is employed in a chemoproteomics screening platform to identify and assess inhibitors of DUBs including USP18.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Signal
January 2025
Department of Endocrinology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410007 Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address:
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperglycemia caused by the destruction of insulin-producing β cells. Viral infection is an important environmental factor which is associated with the islet autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals. Loss of β-cells and triggering of insulitis following viral infection could result from several non-exclusive mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedComm (2020)
January 2025
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that is primarily known for causing severe joint and muscle symptoms, but its pathological effects have extended beyond these tissues. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis across various organs in rodent and nonhuman primate models to investigate CHIKV's impact on organs beyond joints and muscles and to identify key host factors involved in its pathogenesis. Our findings reveal significant species-specific similarities and differences in immune responses and metabolic regulation, with proteins like Interferon-Stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15) and Retinoic Acid-Inducible Gene I (RIG-I) playing crucial roles in the anti-CHIKV defense.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao
December 2024
Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China.
Objectives: To explore the role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in the therapeutic mechanism of Formula (LXJDHYF) for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in mice.
Methods: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into blank control group, model group, low- and high-dose LXJDHYF groups, and H151 (a specific cGAS-STING pathway inhibitor) group (6). In all but the control group, the mice were treated with CCl to induce liver cirrhosis followed by intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide and D-amino galactose to establish mouse models of ACLF.
Autophagy
January 2025
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
Viral proteases play critical roles in the host cell and immune remodeling that allows virus production. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) papain-like protease (PLpro) encoded in the large nonstructural protein 3 (Nsp3) also possesses isopeptidase activity with specificity for ubiquitin and ISG15 conjugates. Here, we interrogated the cellular interactome of the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro catalytic domain to gain insight into the putative substrates and cellular functions affected by the viral deubiquitinase.
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