Depletion of the human N-terminal acetyltransferase hNaa30 disrupts Golgi integrity and ARFRP1 localization.

The organization of the Golgi apparatus (GA) is tightly regulated. Golgi stack scattering is observed in cellular processes such as apoptosis and mitosis, and has also been associated with disruption of cellular lipid metabolism and neurodegenerative diseases. Our studies show that depletion of the human N-α-acetyltransferase 30 (hNaa30) induces fragmentation of the Golgi stack in HeLa and CAL-62 cell lines. The GA associated GTPase ADP ribosylation factor related protein 1 (ARFRP1) was previously shown to require N-terminal acetylation for membrane association and based on its N-terminal sequence, it is likely to be a substrate of hNaa30. ARFRP1 is involved in endosome-to-trans-Golgi network (TGN) traffic. We observed that ARFRP1 shifted from a predominantly cis-Golgi and TGN localization to localizing both Golgi and non-Golgi vesicular structures in hNaa30-depleted cells. However, we did not observe loss of membrane association of ARFRP1. We conclude that hNaa30 depletion induces Golgi scattering and induces aberrant ARFRP1 Golgi localization.

A Role for Human N-alpha Acetyltransferase 30 (Naa30) in Maintaining Mitochondrial Integrity.

N-terminal acetylation (Nt-acetylation) by N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs) is one of the most common protein modifications in eukaryotes. The NatC complex represents one of three major NATs of which the substrate profile remains largely unexplored. Here, we defined the in vivo human NatC Nt-acetylome on a proteome-wide scale by combining knockdown of its catalytic subunit Naa30 with positional proteomics. We identified 46 human NatC substrates, expanding our current knowledge on the substrate repertoire of NatC which now includes proteins harboring Met-Leu, Met-Ile, Met-Phe, Met-Trp, Met-Val, Met-Met, Met-His and Met-Lys N termini. Upon Naa30 depletion the expression levels of several organellar proteins were found reduced, in particular mitochondrial proteins, some of which were found to be NatC substrates. Interestingly, knockdown of Naa30 induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and fragmentation of mitochondria. In conclusion, NatC Nt-acetylates a large variety of proteins and is essential for mitochondrial integrity and function.

Biochemical and cellular analysis of Ogden syndrome reveals downstream Nt-acetylation defects.

The X-linked lethal Ogden syndrome was the first reported human genetic disorder associated with a mutation in an N-terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) gene. The affected males harbor an Ser37Pro (S37P) mutation in the gene encoding Naa10, the catalytic subunit of NatA, the major human NAT involved in the co-translational acetylation of proteins. Structural models and molecular dynamics simulations of the human NatA and its S37P mutant highlight differences in regions involved in catalysis and at the interface between Naa10 and the auxiliary subunit hNaa15. Biochemical data further demonstrate a reduced catalytic capacity and an impaired interaction between hNaa10 S37P and Naa15 as well as Naa50 (NatE), another interactor of the NatA complex. N-Terminal acetylome analyses revealed a decreased acetylation of a subset of NatA and NatE substrates in Ogden syndrome cells, supporting the genetic findings and our hypothesis regarding reduced Nt-acetylation of a subset of NatA/NatE-type substrates as one etiology for Ogden syndrome. Furthermore, Ogden syndrome fibroblasts display abnormal cell migration and proliferation capacity, possibly linked to a perturbed retinoblastoma pathway. N-Terminal acetylation clearly plays a role in Ogden syndrome, thus revealing the in vivo importance of N-terminal acetylation in human physiology and disease.