In the UPS family, which E2 enzymes collaborate with the E3 ligase MuRF1, a major actor of muscle atrophy?
Résumé
Muscle wasting is associated with many diseases and also physiological conditions (disuse, aging). Skeletal
muscle mass is largely controlled by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and thus by the ubiquitinating
enzymes (E2s and E3s) that target substrates for subsequent degradation. MuRF1 is the only E3 known to target
contractile proteins (α-actin, myosins) during catabolic situations. MuRF1 knock-out partially protected skeletal
muscles from atrophy in denervated or immobilized animals. MuRF1 is therefore a putative target for preventing
muscle wasting. However, MuRF1 depends on E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzymes for ubiquitin chain formation on
the substrates.
In this work, we demonstrated that only highly sensitive and complementary interactomic approaches (Surface
Plasmon Resonance, Yeast three-Hybrid and split-GFP) allowed the identification of MuRF1 E2 partners. Among
the 14 E2 expressed in muscle, 5 physically and functionally interacted with MuRF1. We also showed that
telethonin, a MuRF1 substrate, governed the affinity between MuRF1 and two of these E2s. We are currently
studying the capacity of E2-MuRF1 duos to target the main contractile proteins both in vitro and in vivo.
We report here the first MuRF1-E2s network, which may prove valuable for deciphering the precise mechanisms
involved in the atrophying muscle program and for proposing new therapeutic approaches.