RNF14-dependent atypical ubiquitylation promotes translation-coupled resolution of RNA-protein crosslinks
Molecular Cell article from the Stingele lab - first author former IRTG member Shubo Zhao
10.11.2023
Shubo Zhao, Jacqueline Cordes, Karolina M. Caban, Maximilian J. Götz, Timur Mackens-Kiani, Anthony J. Veltri, Niladri K. Sinha, Pedro Weickert, Selay Kaya, Graeme Hewitt, Danny D. Nedialkova, Thomas Fröhlich, Rocland Beckmann, Allen R. Buskirk, Rachel Green, Julian Stingele (10 Nov 2023 online) RNF14-dependent atypical ubiquitylation promotes translation-coupled resolution of RNA-protein crosslinks. Molecular Cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2023.10.012
Abstract cited directly from article:
Reactive aldehydes are abundant endogenous metabolites that challenge homeostasis by crosslinking cellular macromolecules. Aldehyde-induced DNA damage requires repair to prevent cancer and premature aging, but it is unknown whether cells also possess mechanisms that resolve aldehyde-induced RNA lesions. Here, we establish photoactivatable ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking (PAR-CL) as a model system to study RNA crosslinking damage in the absence of confounding DNA damage in human cells. We find that such RNA damage causes translation stress by stalling elongating ribosomes, which leads to collisions with trailing ribosomes and activation of multiple stress response pathways. Moreover, we discovered a translation-coupled quality control mechanism that resolves covalent RNA-protein crosslinks. Collisions between translating ribosomes and crosslinked mRNA-binding proteins trigger their modification with atypical K6- and K48-linked ubiquitin chains. Ubiquitylation requires the E3 ligase RNF14 and leads to proteasomal degradation of the protein adduct. Our findings identify RNA lesion-induced translational stress as a central component of crosslinking damage.