The WD40-repeat protein WDR-48 promotes the stability of the deubiquitinating enzyme USP-46 by inhibiting its ubiquitination and degradation

Abstract

Ubiquitination is a reversible post-translational modification that has emerged as a critical regulator of synapse development and function. However, mechanisms that regulate the deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) that are responsible for the removal of ubiquitin from target proteins are poorly understood. We previously showed that the DUB USP-46 removes ubiquitin from the glutamate receptor GLR-1 and regulates it trafficking and degradation in C. elegans. We found that WD40-repeat proteins WDR-20 and WDR-48 bind and stimulate the catalytic activity of USP-46. Here, we identify another mechanism by which WDR-48 regulates USP-46. We found that increased expression of WDR-48, but not WDR-20, promotes USP-46 abundance in mammalian cells in culture and in C. elegans neurons in vivo. Inhibition of the proteasome promotes the abundance of USP-46, and this effect is non-additive with increased expression of WDR-48. We found that USP-46 is ubiquitinated, and expression of WDR-48 reduces the levels of ubiquitin-USP-46 conjugates and increases the half-life of USP-46. A point mutant version of WDR-48 that disrupts binding to USP-46 is unable to promote USP-46 abundance in vivo. Together, these data support a model in which WDR-48 binds and stabilizes USP-46 protein levels by preventing the ubiquitination and degradation of USP-46 in the proteasome. Given that a large number of USPs interact with WDR proteins, we propose that stabilization of DUBs by their interacting WDR proteins may be a conserved and widely used mechanism to control DUB availability and function.