Accumulating data indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome system controls apoptosis by regulating the level and the function of key regulatory proteins. In the present study, we identified Trim17, a member of the TRIM/RBCC protein family, as one of the critical E3 ubiquitin-ligases involved in the control of neuronal apoptosis upstream of mitochondria. We show that expression of Trim17 is increased both at the mRNA and protein level in several in vitro models of transcription-dependent neuronal apoptosis. Expression of Trim17 is controlled by the PI3K/Akt/GSK3 pathway in cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). Moreover, the Trim17 protein is expressed in vivo, in apoptotic neurons that naturally die during postnatal cerebellar development. Overexpression of active Trim17 in primary CGN was sufficient to induce the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in survival conditions. This proapoptotic effect was abolished in Bax−/− neurons and depended on the E3 activity of Trim17 conferred by its RING domain. Furthermore, knock-down of endogenous Trim17 and overexpression of dominant-negative mutants of Trim17 blocked trophic factor withdrawal-induced apoptosis both in CGN and in sympathetic neurons. Collectively, our data are the first to assign a cellular function to Trim17 by showing that its E3 activity is both necessary and sufficient for the initiation of neuronal apoptosis.

Short-term proteasome inhibition has been shown to prevent neuronal apoptosis. However, the key pro-survival proteins that must be degraded for triggering neuronal death are mostly unknown. Here, we show that Mcl-1, an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, is degraded by the proteasome during neuronal apoptosis. Using primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons deprived of serum and KCl, we found that ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1 depended on its prior phosphorylation by GSK3, providing the first insight into post-translational regulation of Mcl-1 in neurons. In a previous study, we have reported that the E3 ubiquitin-ligase Trim17 is both necessary and sufficient for neuronal apoptosis. Here, we identified In the nervous system, apoptosis plays a critical role both during development and in neurodegenerative diseases. 1 In many neuronal types, apoptosis is triggered through the intrinsic pathway of caspase activation that involves the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. The proteins of the Bcl-2 family, that comprises both anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2, Bcl-x L , Mcl-1y) and pro-apoptotic members (Bax, Bak, Bimy), play an essential role in the regulation of apoptosis by controlling the integrity of the outer mitochondrial membrane and the release of apoptogenic factors such as cytochrome c. 2 Amongst the anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family, Mcl-1 (Myeloid cell leukemia 1) is characterized by a short half-life. 3 Its rapid degradation by the proteasome has been shown to be required for initiation of the apoptotic cascade in several cell lines. [4][5][6][7] For a long time, little attention was paid to a potential role for Mcl-1 in the nervous system because initial studies did not detect it in neurons. However, Mcl-1 is expressed in cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) in vivo, 8 and Mcl-1 expression has been associated with neuroprotection in the hippocampus. 9 More recently, elegant studies using different conditional Mcl-1 mouse mutants, showed that Mcl-1 is required for neuronal development, that loss of Mcl-1 sensitizes neurons to DNA damage-induced apoptosis and that Mcl-1 negatively regulates autophagy in starved neurons. 10,11 Therefore, Mcl-1 appears to play a crucial role in neuronal survival. Nevertheless, post-translational regulation of Mcl-1 has never been studied in neurons.In the present study, we report for the first time that Mcl-1 is degraded by the proteasome during neuronal apoptosis. We found that Mcl-1 degradation depended on its prior phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), in primary cultures of CGNs deprived of serum and KCl. This phosphorylation of Mcl-1 favored its physical interaction with Trim17, a novel E3 ubiquitin-ligase involved in neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, our present data provide evidence that Trim17 contributes to the ubiquitination and the proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1 in neurons. As such, we define a novel molecular mechanism for regulation of Mcl-1 and initiation of apoptosis. ResultsMcl-1 is degraded by the proteasome during...