Elucidation of Ubiquitin-Related Functions Via an Ubiquitin Overexpression Approach

To identify new ubiquitin-related functions using yeast, we searched for mutants conferring a temperature-sensitivity phenotype that could be rescued through ubiquitin overexpression. Screening of mutants using this overexpression strategy identified , which encodes a subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) signal peptidase complex (SPC). Ubiquitin overexpression rescued a high-temperature sensitivity of deletion mutant, suggesting that ubiquitin could compensate for Spc2 loss-of-function at high temperatures. The double mutant of Spc2 and Hrd1, an ER E3 ubiquitin ligase, showed a synergistic growth defect at higher temperatures. A weak genetic interaction was also observed between spc2Δ and mutation. The results suggest a close functional relationship between SPC and the ubiquitin-proteasome system in yeast and further provide proof-of-principle for this ubiquitin overexpression approach to identify novel ubiquitin-related genes and associated cellular processes.