Protein quality control by the proteasome and autophagy: A regulatory role of ubiquitin and liquid-liquid phase separation

Abstract

Degradation of dysfunctional, damaged, or misfolded proteins is a crucial component of the protein quality control network to maintain cellular proteostasis. Dysfunction in proteostasis regulation due to imbalances in protein synthesis, folding, and degradation challenges the integrity of the cellular proteome and favors the accumulation of aggregated proteins that can damage cells by a loss of their functions and/or a gain of adverse functions. Ubiquitination is an essential player in proteostasis regulation but also in orchestrating signaling pathways in response to various stress conditions. Both cellular degradation systems, the proteasome and autophagy, employ ubiquitin for selection and targeting of substrates to the degradative machineries. Here we summarize the manifold functions of ubiquitin in protein degradation and discuss its emerging role in the formation of biomolecular condensates through liquid-liquid phase separation, which allows spatiotemporal regulation of protein quality control.

Keywords: Biomolecular condensates; Phase separation; Proteostasis; RAD23B; UBQLN2; p62.