Biology subjects

Smolka, M. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Smolka, M. B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

The yeast Art1 arrestin domain contains disordered insertions that regulate its localization and activity

The protein composition of the plasma membrane is rapidly remodeled in response to changes in nutrient availability or cellular stress. This occurs, in part, through the selective ubiquitylation and endocytosis of plasma membrane proteins which, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is mediated by the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 and arrestin-related trafficking (ART) adaptors. Here, we provide evidence that an ART family member, Art1, consists of an arrestin fold with extended N- and C-terminal tails, and interspersed with loop insertions. These loop and tail regions, while not strictly required for Art1 function, regulate its activity through two separate mechanisms. One loop mediates Art1 cargo specificity. Other loops are subjected to phosphorylation in a manner dependent on the Pho85 cyclins Clg1 and Pho80. Phosphorylation of the loops controls Art1s localization to the plasma membrane, which promotes cargo ubiquitylation and endocytosis, demonstrating a mechanism through which Art1 activity is regulated.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Progranulin deficiency leads to reduced glucocerebrosidase activity

Mutation in the GRN gene, encoding the progranulin (PGRN) protein, shows a dose-dependent disease correlation, wherein haploinsufficiency results in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and complete loss results in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Although the exact function of PGRN is unknown, it has been increasingly implicated in lysosomal physiology. Here we report that PGRN interacts with the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase (GBA), and is essential for proper GBA activity. GBA activity is significantly reduced in tissue lysates from PGRN-deficient mice. This is further evidence that reduced lysosomal hydrolase activity may be a pathological mechanism in cases of GRN-related FTLD and NCL.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

MaXLinker: proteome-wide cross-link identifications with high specificity and sensitivity

Protein-protein interactions play a vital role in nearly all cellular functions. Hence, understanding their interaction patterns and three-dimensional structural conformations can provide crucial insights about various biological processes and underlying molecular mechanisms for many disease phenotypes. Cross-linking mass spectrometry has the unique capability to detect protein-protein interactions at a large scale along with spatial constraints between interaction partners. However, the current cross-link search algorithms follow an "MS2-centric" approach and, as a result, suffer from a high rate of mis-identified cross-links (~15%). We address this urgent problem, by designing a novel "MS3-centric" approach for cross-link identification and implemented it as a search engine called MaXLinker. MaXLinker significantly outperforms the current state of the art search engine with up to 18-fold lower false positive rate. Additionally, MaXLinker results in up to 31% more cross-links, demonstrating its superior sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, we performed proteome-wide cross-linking mass spectrometry using K562 cells. Employing MaXLinker, we unveiled the most comprehensive set of 9,319 unique cross-links at 1% false discovery rate, comprising 8,051 intraprotein and 1,268 interprotein cross-links. Finally, we experimentally validated the quality of a large number of novel interactions identified in our study, providing a conclusive evidence for MaXLinkers robust performance.

systems biology↗