Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rpn10 (SpRpn10) is a proteasomal ubiquitin (Ub) receptor located within the 19 S regulatory particle where it binds to subunits of both the base and lid subparticles. We have solved the structure of full-length SpRpn10 by determining the crystal structure of the von Willebrand factor type A domain and characterizing the full-length protein by NMR. We demonstrate that the single Ub-interacting motif (UIM) of SpRpn10 forms a 1:1 complex with Lys48-linked diUb, which it binds selectively over monoUb and Lys63-linked diUb. We further show that the SpRpn10 UIM binds to SpRpn12, a subunit of the lid subparticle, with an affinity comparable with Lys48-linked diUb. This is the first observation of a UIM binding other than a Ub fold and suggests that SpRpn12 could modulate the activity of SpRpn10 as a proteasomal Ub receptor.

Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS1), a Family A G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with the fluorescent proteins eCFP or eYFP. A fluorophore-tagged receptor was used to study the multimerization of NTS1 in detergent solution and in brain polar lipid bilayers, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). A detergent-solubilized receptor was unable to form FRET-competent complexes at concentrations of up to 200 nM, suggesting that the receptor is monomeric in this environment. When reconstituted into a model membrane system at low receptor density, the observed FRET was independent of agonist binding, suggesting constitutive multimer formation. In competition studies, decreased FRET in the presence of untagged NTS1 excludes the possibility of fluorescent protein-induced interactions. A simulation of the experimental data indicates that NTS1 exists predominantly as a homodimer, rather than as higher-order multimers. These observations suggest that, in common with several other Family A GPCRs, NTS1 forms a constitutive dimer in lipid bilayers, stabilized through receptor-receptor interactions in the absence of other cellular signaling components. Therefore, this work demonstrates that well-characterized model membrane systems are useful tools for the study of GPCR multimerization, allowing fine control over system composition and complexity, provided that rigorous control experiments are performed.

The ubiquitin–proteasome system targets selected proteins for degradation by the 26S proteasome. Rpn12 is an essential component of the 19S regulatory particle and plays a role in recruiting the extrinsic ubiquitin receptor Rpn10. In the present paper we report the crystal structure of Rpn12, a proteasomal PCI-domain-containing protein. The structure helps to define a core structural motif for the PCI domain and identifies potential sites through which Rpn12 might form protein–protein interactions. We demonstrate that mutating residues at one of these sites impairs Rpn12 binding to Rpn10 in vitro and reduces Rpn10 incorporation into proteasomes in vivo.

Background: The structure of Rhp23 is unusual in that it contains two ubiquitin binding domains.Results: Only the internal domain of Rhp23 is required for it to act as a shuttle factor.Conclusion: The C-terminal ubiquitin binding domain is redundant for substrate recognition.Significance: This is the first time that the functions of ubiquitin binding domains have been tested in vivo in S. pombe.