Multiplexed Delivery of Synthetic (Un)Conjugatable Ubiquitin and SUMO2 Enables Simultaneous Monitoring of Their Localization and Function in Live Cells

G. Mann, P. Sadhu, A. Brik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Ubiquitin (Ub) and its related small Ub like modifier (SUMO) are among the most influential protein post-translational modifications in eukaryotes. Unfortunately, visualizing these modifications in live cells is a challenging task. Chemical protein synthesis offers great opportunities in studying and further understanding Ub and SUMO biology. Nevertheless, the low cell permeability of proteins limits these studies mainly for in vitro applications. Here, we introduce a multiplexed protein cell delivery approach, termed MBL (multiplexed bead loading), for simultaneous loading of up to four differentially labeled proteins with organic fluorophores. We applied MBL to visualize ubiquitination and SUMOylation events in live and untransfected cells without fluorescent protein tags or perturbation to their endogenous levels. Our study reveals unprecedented involvements of Ub and SUMO2 in lysosomes depending on conjugation states. We envision that this approach will improve our understanding of dynamic cellular processes such as formation and disassembly of membraneless organelles.

Original languageAmerican English
Article numbere202200122
JournalChemBioChem
Volume23
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Jun 2022

Keywords

  • chemical protein synthesis
  • fluorescent probes
  • post-translational modifications
  • protein delivery
  • protein modifications

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

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