Elucidating the cellular determinants of targeted membrane protein degradation by lysosome-targeting chimeras

Science. 2023 Oct 20;382(6668):eadf6249. doi: 10.1126/science.adf6249. Epub 2023 Oct 20.

Abstract

Targeted protein degradation can provide advantages over inhibition approaches in the development of therapeutic strategies. Lysosome-targeting chimeras (LYTACs) harness receptors, such as the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR), to direct extracellular proteins to lysosomes. In this work, we used a genome-wide CRISPR knockout approach to identify modulators of LYTAC-mediated membrane protein degradation in human cells. We found that disrupting retromer genes improved target degradation by reducing LYTAC recycling to the plasma membrane. Neddylated cullin-3 facilitated LYTAC-complex lysosomal maturation and was a predictive marker for LYTAC efficacy. A substantial fraction of cell surface CI-M6PR remains occupied by endogenous M6P-modified glycoproteins. Thus, inhibition of M6P biosynthesis increased the internalization of LYTAC-target complexes. Our findings inform design strategies for next-generation LYTACs and elucidate aspects of cell surface receptor occupancy and trafficking.

MeSH terms

  • Cullin Proteins / metabolism
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Lysosomes* / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins* / metabolism
  • Proteolysis Targeting Chimera* / metabolism
  • Proteolysis*
  • Receptor, IGF Type 2* / genetics
  • Receptor, IGF Type 2* / metabolism

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Receptor, IGF Type 2
  • CUL3 protein, human
  • Cullin Proteins
  • Proteolysis Targeting Chimera
  • cation-dependent mannose-6-phosphate receptor