Identification of α-spectrin domains susceptible to ubiquitination

Abstract

Previously, we demonstrated that α-spectrin is a substrate for the ubiquitin system and that this conjugation is a dynamic process (Corsi, D, Galluzzi, L., Crinelli, R., and Magnani, M. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 8928- 8935). In this study, we mapped the sites of ubiquitination on erythrocyte α-spectrin. A peptide map of digested α-spectrin, previously submitted to in vitro 125I-ubiquitin conjugation, revealed the presence of four distinct labeled bands with M(r) 40,000, 36,000, 29,000, and 25,500. Western blotting experiments using antibodies against each α-spectrin domain revealed that only IgG anti-αIII domain recognized the 125I-labeled ubiquitin peptide of 29 kDa, whereas the IgG anti-αV domain recognized the M(r) 40,000 125I-ubiquitin-labeled peptide. The other two labeled bands of M(r) 36,000 and M(r) 25,500 were identified as tetra and tri multiubiquitin chains. Ubiquitination of the αIII and αV domains was further confirmed by anti-α-spectrin domain immunoaffinity chromatography. Endoprotease Lys C- digested spectrin conjugated previously to 125I-ubiquitin was incubated with antibodies against each trypsin-resistant domain of α-spectrin. Gamma counting of the radiolabeled antigen-antibody complexes purified by protein A chromatography showed labeling in the IgG anti-αIII and anti-αV complexes alone. Domain αIII is not associated with any known function, whereas domain αV contains the nucleation site for the association of the α and β chains. Ubiquitination of the latter domain suggests a role for ubiquitin in the modulation of the stability, deformability, and viscoelastic properties of the erythrocyte membrane.