Dipeptidyl peptidases and E3 ligases of N-degron pathways cooperate to regulate protein stability.

N-degrons are short sequences located at protein N-terminus that mediate the interaction of E3 ligases (E3s) with substrates to promote their proteolysis. It is well established that N-degrons can be exposed following protease cleavage to allow recognition by E3s. However, our knowledge regarding how proteases and E3s cooperate in protein quality control mechanisms remains minimal. Using a systematic approach to monitor the protein stability of an N-terminome library, we found that proline residue at the third N-terminal position (hereafter "P+3") promotes instability. Genetic perturbations identified the dipeptidyl peptidases DPP8 and DPP9 and the primary E3s of N-degron pathways, UBR proteins, as regulators of P+3 bearing substrate turnover. Interestingly, P+3 UBR substrates are significantly enriched for secretory proteins. We found that secretory proteins relying on a signal peptide (SP) for their targeting contain a "built-in" N-degron within their SP. This degron becomes exposed by DPP8/9 upon translocation failure to the designated compartments, thus enabling clearance of mislocalized proteins by UBRs to maintain proteostasis.

Molecular basis for C-degron recognition by CRL2APPBP2 ubiquitin ligase.

E3 ubiquitin ligases determine the specificity of eukaryotic protein degradation by selective binding to destabilizing protein motifs, termed degrons, in substrates for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. The exposed C-terminal residues of proteins can act as C-degrons that are recognized by distinct substrate receptors (SRs) as part of dedicated cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complexes. APPBP2, an SR of Cullin 2-RING ligase (CRL2), has been shown to recognize R-x-x-G/C-degron; however, the molecular mechanism of recognition remains elusive. By solving several cryogenic electron microscopy structures of active CRL2APPBP2 bound with different R-x-x-G/C-degrons, we unveiled the molecular mechanisms underlying the assembly of the CRL2APPBP2 dimer and tetramer, as well as C-degron recognition. The structural study, complemented by binding experiments and cell-based assays, demonstrates that APPBP2 specifically recognizes the R-x-x-G/C-degron via a bipartite mechanism; arginine and glycine, which play critical roles in C-degron recognition, accommodate distinct pockets that are spaced by two residues. In addition, the binding pocket is deep enough to enable the interaction of APPBP2 with the motif placed at or up to three residues upstream of the C-end. Overall, our study not only provides structural insight into CRL2APPBP2-mediated protein turnover but also serves as the basis for future structure-based chemical probe design.