Biology subjects

Shchepinova, M. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Shchepinova, M. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

A spatiotemporally resolved GPCR interactome reveals novel mediators of receptor agonism

Cellular signaling by membrane G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is orchestrated by a complex and diverse array of mechanisms. The dynamics of a GPCR interactome as it evolves over time and space in response to an agonist can offer a unique window on pleiotropic signaling decoding and functional selectivity at a cellular level. In this study, we employed proximity-based APEX2 proteomics to interrogate the interaction network of the GPCR for luteinizing hormone (LHR) on a minute-to-minute timescale. We developed an analytical approach integrating quantitative multiplexed proteomics and temporal reference profiles, providing a platform to identify the proteomic environment of APEX2-tagged LHR at the nanometer scale. LHR activity is exquisitely regulated at a spatial level, leading to identification of novel putative interactors including the Ras-related GTPase RAP2B that modulate both receptor signaling and post-endocytic trafficking, and providing a resource for spatiotemporal nanodomain mapping of LHR interactors across subcellular compartments. SignificanceG-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane proteins in the human body. GPCRs have established themselves as key drug targets, playing central roles in health and disease. The activity of this superfamily of receptors is highly dynamic, integrating diverse signaling pathways over time and across multiple subcellular compartments. Quantitative proximity proteomics using engineered ascorbate peroxidase (APEX2) has emerged as a powerful tool to map GPCR-protein interaction landscapes in both time and space. However, resolving these networks at a sub-minute timescale remains challenging, particularly for poorly characterized GPCRs with limited pharmacological tools or complex trafficking patterns. In this study, we applied APEX2 proximity proteomics to resolve at nanoscale the agonist (LH)-induced interactome of the luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), a key GPCR in human reproduction. LHR undergoes rapid endocytosis upon LH stimulation, trafficking to a poorly understood compartment termed the very early endosome (VEE), where it engages in G protein signaling and post-endocytic sorting. Harnessing the temporal profile of GIPC1 protein, a key known interactor of LHR in the VEE pathway, we developed an analytical pipeline to identify novel endocytic interactors of LHR. Using our platform, we identified RAP2B and RAB38 as potential modulators of LHR signaling and trafficking. Overall, we present an APEX2 pipeline optimized for interrogating complex datasets, particularly for GPCRs, and potentially other membrane receptors, with limited known interactome data and minimal pharmacological tools. Our findings highlight both the complexity of GPCR interaction networks and an effective strategy to deconvolute them, providing a comprehensive resource to advance understanding of this large family of receptors. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=199 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/599010v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (71K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13badf7org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@11a5182org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dd5453org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@cb2c27_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Discovery of lipid-mediated protein-protein interactions in living cells using metabolic labeling with photoactivatable clickable probes

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are essential and pervasive regulatory elements in cell biology. Despite development of a range of techniques to probe PPIs in living systems, there is a dearth of approaches to capture interactions driven by specific post-translational modifications (PTMs). Myristoylation is a lipid PTM added to more than 200 human proteins, where it may regulate membrane localization, stability or activity. Here we report design and synthesis of a panel of novel photocrosslinkable and clickable myristic acid analog probes, and their characterization as efficient substrates for human N-myristoyltransferases NMT1 and NMT2, both biochemically and through X-ray co-crystallography. We demonstrate metabolic incorporation of probes to label NMT substrates in cell culture and in situ intracellular photoactivation to form a covalent crosslink between modified proteins and their interactors, capturing a snapshot of interactions driven by the presence of the lipid PTM. Proteomic analyses revealed both known and multiple novel interactors of a series of myristoylated proteins, including ferroptosis suppressor protein FSP1 and spliceosome-associated RNA helicase DDX46. The concept exemplified by these probes offers an efficient approach for exploring the PTM-specific interactome, which may prove broadly applicable to other PTMs.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Expression of mini-G proteins specifically halt cognate GPCR trafficking and intracellular signalling

Mini-G proteins are engineered thermostable variants of G subunits designed to specifically stabilise G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in their active conformation for structural analyses. Due to their smaller size and ease of use, they have become popular tools in recent years to assess specific GPCR behaviours in cells, both as reporters of receptor coupling to each G protein subtype and for in-cell assays designed to quantify compartmentalised receptor signalling from a range of subcellular locations. Here, we describe a previously unappreciated consequence of the co-expression of mini-G proteins with their cognate GPCRs, namely a profound disruption in GPCR trafficking and intracellular signalling caused by the co-expression of the specific mini-G subtype coupled to the affected receptor. We studied the Gs-coupled pancreatic beta cell class B GPCR glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) as a model to describe in detail the molecular consequences derived from this effect, including a complete halt in {beta}-arrestin-2 recruitment and receptor internalisation, despite near-normal levels of receptor GRK2 recruitment and lipid nanodomain segregation, as well as the disruption of endosomal GLP-1R signalling by mini-Gs co-expression. We also extend our analysis to a range of other prototypical GPCRs covering the spectrum of G subtype coupling preferences, to unveil a widely conserved phenomenon of GPCR internalisation blockage by specific mini-G proteins coupled to a particular receptor. Our results have important implications for the design of methods to assess intracellular GPCR signalling. We also present an alternative adapted bystander intracellular signalling assay for the GLP-1R in which we substitute the mini-Gs by a nanobody, Nb37, with specificity for active Gs:GPCR complexes and no deleterious effect on the capacity for GLP-1R internalisation.

cell biology↗