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C-terminal amides mark proteins for degradation via SCF–FBXO31
Abstract During normal cellular homeostasis, unfolded and mislocalized proteins are recognized and removed, preventing the build-up of toxic byproducts 1 . When protein homeostasis is perturbed during ageing, neurodegeneration or cellular stress, proteins can accumulate several forms of chemical damage through reactive metabolites 2,3 . Such modifications have been proposed to trigger the selective removal of chemically marked proteins 3–6 ; however, identifying modifications that are sufficient to induce protein degradation has remained challenging. Here, using a semi-synthetic chemical biology approach coupled to cellular assays, we found that C-terminal amide-bearing proteins (CTAPs) are rapidly cleared from human cells. A CRISPR screen identified FBXO31 as a reader of C-terminal amides. FBXO31 is a substrate receptor for the SKP1–CUL1–F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase SCF–FBXO31, which ubiquitylates CTAPs for subsequent proteasomal degradation. A conserved binding pocket enables FBXO31 to bind to almost any C-terminal peptide bearing an amide while retaining exquisite selectivity over non-modified clients. This mechanism facilitates binding and turnover of endogenous CTAPs that are formed after oxidative stress. A dominant human mutation found in neurodevelopmental disorders reverses CTAP recognition, such that non-amidated neosubstrates are now degraded and FBXO31 becomes markedly toxic. We propose that CTAPs may represent the vanguard of a largely unexplored class of modified amino acid degrons that could provide a general strategy for selective yet broad surveillance of chemically damaged proteins.