Bcl-2 Decreases the Affinity of SQSTM1/p62 to Poly-Ubiquitin Chains and Suppresses the Aggregation of Misfolded Protein in Neurodegenerative Disease

Abstract

Poly-ubiquitinated protein aggregate formation is the most striking hallmark of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion disease. Mutations of many ubiquitin-associated proteins involved in the regulation of protein aggregation, such as SQSTM1/p62 (p62), parkin, and VCP, are closely linked to neurodegeneration. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) is a key regulator in autophagy, apoptosis, and mitochondria quality control in many cell types including neurons, and it plays important roles in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases mentioned above. Our previous work showed that Bcl-2 can directly bind to p62, and here we report that Bcl-2 directly interacts with the N-terminus of p62, but not the C-terminus (UBA domain). Interestingly and importantly, Bcl-2 affects the affinity of p62 to poly-ubiquitin chains and suppresses the aggregation of poly-ubiquitinated proteins such as mutant huntingtin associated with Huntington’s disease. Our study reveals a role of Bcl-2 that involves in the regulation of misfolded proteins.