Assaying Proteasomal Degradation in a Cell-free System in Plants

Summary

Targeted protein degradation represents a major regulatory mechanism for cell function. It occurs via a conserved ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, which attaches polyubiquitin chains to the target protein that then serve as molecular “tags” for the 26S proteasome. Here, we describe a simple and reliable cell-free assay for proteasomal degradation of proteins.

Abstract

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway for protein degradation has emerged as one of the most important mechanisms for regulation of a wide spectrum of cellular functions in virtually all eukaryotic organisms. Specifically, in plants, the ubiquitin/26S proteasome system (UPS) regulates protein degradation and contributes significantly to development of a wide range of processes, including immune response, development and programmed cell death. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that numerous plant pathogens, such as Agrobacterium, exploit the host UPS for efficient infection, emphasizing the importance of UPS in plant-pathogen interactions.

The substrate specificity of UPS is achieved by the E3 ubiquitin ligase that acts in concert with the E1 and E2 ligases to recognize and mark specific protein molecules destined for degradation by attaching to them chains of ubiquitin molecules. One class of the E3 ligases is the SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F-box protein) complex, which specifically recognizes the UPS substrates and targets them for ubiquitination via its F-box protein component. To investigate a potential role of UPS in a biological process of interest, it is important to devise a simple and reliable assay for UPS-mediated protein degradation. Here, we describe one such assay using a plant cell-free system. This assay can be adapted for studies of the roles of regulated protein degradation in diverse cellular processes, with a special focus on the F-box protein-substrate interactions.

Introduction

The ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway is emerging as a widespread mechanism for control of diverse biological reactions, including transcriptional regulation, cell-cycle progression and signal transduction, receptor down-regulation or endocytosis, among others processes^1-4. In this pathway, the target protein is tagged by ubiquitin residues which are first attached via a thiolester bond to ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1 and then translocated to a cysteine amino acid residue of ubiquitin-conjugation enzyme E2; finally, E2 interacts with ubiquitin ligase E3, resulting in polyubiquitination of the protein substrate. Ultimately, the polyubiquitinated pr....

Protocol

1. Protein expression

1. Choice of expression system
   Select the system, i.e., vectors and vector delivery method, best suited for expression of the protein of interest in the specific model organism/cell. Note that our assay requires expression of the tested proteins in easily detectible amounts, which is best achieved by transient transformation of large numbers of cells. In plants, for example, this is best accomplished using binary plasmids as expression vectors and Agrobacterium as delivery system.
2. Construction of binary expression vectors
   Clone the coding sequence(s) of the protein(s) of interest ....

Results

Figure 1, adapted from Zaltsman et al.¹⁷, illustrates representative experiments for detection of proteasomal degradation in a cell-free system. Specifically, we demonstrate destabilization of a plant defense-related protein VIP1 by the VBF F-box protein via the SCF^VBF pathway in N. benthamiana. Arabidopsis VBF and HA-tagged VIP1 (HA-VIP1) proteins were transiently coexpressed, and HA-VIP1 content protein within extracts of the expressing leaves was analyz.......

Discussion

This assay relies on the expression of the tested proteins in plant tissues; thus, the potential proteasomal degradation process obviously occurs already within the living tissues. We assay protein destabilization, however, only in the extracts, with the time zero sample serving as the initial reference point. Hence, we define it as a cell-free assay.

One important aspect for the success of this assay is the correct choice of the expression vector from which the tested protein(s) will be produ.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Protein assay kit	Bio-Rad	500-0001
Proteinase inhibitor cocktail	Sigma-Aldrich	S8820
Mini-Protean system	Bio-Rad	165-8000
Semi-dry western blotting SD electrotransfer system	Bio-Rad	170-3940
Affinity Purified Rabbit Anti-Ha	ICL Lab	RHGT-45A-Z
Goat anti-Rabbit IgG Peroxidase Conjugate	Thermo Scientific	31460
BioTrace, NT nitrocellulose transfer membrane	Pall Corporation	27377-000
Immobilon western chemiluminescent HRP substrate	EMD Millipore	WBKL S0 050
MG132	EMD Millipore	474790-1MG
Lactacystin	Sigma-Aldrich	L6785
Thermo Scientific Pierce Fast Western Blot Kit, ECL Substrate	Pierce	35055