N-Terminal Modifications of Ubiquitin via Methionine Excision, Deamination, and Arginylation Expand the Ubiquitin Code

Ubiquitin (Ub) is post-translationally modified by Ub itself or Ub-like proteins, phosphorylation, and acetylation, among others, which elicits a variety of Ub topologies and cellular functions. However, N-terminal (Nt) modifications of Ub remain unknown, except the linear head-to-tail ubiquitylation via Nt-Met. Here, using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and an Nt-arginylated Ub-specific antibody, we found that the detectable level of Ub undergoes Nt-Met excision, Nt-deamination, and Nt-arginylation. The resulting Ntarginylated Ub and its conjugated proteins are upregulated in the stationary-growth phase or by oxidative stress. We further proved the existence of Nt-arginylated Ub in vivo and identified Nt-arginylated Ub-protein conjugates using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based tandem mass spectrometry. In silico structural modeling of Nt-arginylated Ub predicted that Nt-Arg flexibly protrudes from the surface of the Ub, thereby most likely providing a docking site for the factors that recognize it. Collectively, these results reveal unprecedented Nt-arginylated Ub and the pathway by which it is produced, which greatly expands the known complexity of the Ub code.

Automated summary

Ubiquitin can undergo N-terminal modifications, including N-terminal methionine excision, N-terminal deamination, and N-terminal arginylation. N-terminal arginylation of ubiquitin and its conjugated proteins are upregulated during the stationary-growth phase or under oxidative stress. This discovery expands the complexity of the ubiquitin code.