Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: Phosphorylated ubiquitin is a secondary messenger and an epigenetic mark mediating mitochondria to nucleus signaling
doi: 10.64898/2026.04.24.719390
Figure Lengend Snippet: A - Schematic depiction of subcellular fraction experiment performed in . Detergent buffers used for fractionation are given in italics. CIB and MIB buffers are from Cell Fractionation Kit (Cell Signaling Technologies, #9038), while HNTE was made in house. B - Cells were treated with OA (1µM, 18 hrs), MG132 (20µM, 4 hrs) or DMSO before subcellular fractionation and Western blotting. Protein subcellular localizations are annotated (IMM = inner mitochondrial membrane, OMM = outer mitochondrial membrane) and arrows indicate both full length and cleaved PINK1 bands. For the pS65Ub blot, identical samples were analyzed on a separate gel (separated by dashed lines). C - PINK1-HA was transiently expressed in HeLa cells before treatment with OA, MG132 or DMSO as before. The distributions of pS65Ub (green), HA (red) and DNA (blue) were assessed by immunofluorescence. Magnified regions of interest are indicated by dashed boxes. Red dashed lines indicate regions captured by intensity profile (performed in the red/HA channel), graphed below. D - WT or PINK1 KO HeLa were transiently transfected with empty vector (EV), PINK1-FKBP (P) or FIS1-FRB (F) in combinations indicated before 18 hrs treatment with OA (1μM) or rapalog (500nM). A dashed line reveals where identical samples were analyzed on a separate gel. E - Schematic depiction of experiments performed in Extended Data Figures 4F, G. F - WT or PINK1 KO HeLa cells were transiently transfected with EV, PINK1 WT, PINK1-NES or PINK1-NLS before treatment with CCCP and Western blot analysis. Two plasmid amounts were used for transfection to achieve high and low relative PINK1 expression, captured by high and low exposures (HiExp/LoExp respectively). G - PINK1-myc tagged with NES/NLS signals were transiently expressed in HeLa cells before treatment with CCCP (20µM, 4 hrs) or MG132 (20µM, 4 hrs). Cells were fixed and stained for myc (green), pS65Ub (blue, grayscale in the far right column) or mitochondrial marker HSP60 (red). Nuclear exclusion (NES) and sequestration (NLS) is observed after MG132 treatment. H - Quantification of nuclear vs cytoplasmic pS65Ub signal density (arbitrary units/µm 2 ) in healthy control, PRKN (left) and PINK1 (right) mutant iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons after treatment with CCCP (10µM, 6 hrs). The horizontal line shows the signal on DMSO-treatment, considered background due to negligible PINK1 activation/pS65Ub levels. Mean +/- SEM from three independent cell lines per genotype. I - iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons from PD patients with mutations in PINK1 were treated with CCCP (10µM, 6 hrs). Dashed boxes annotate the area magnified in the inset and dashed circles show nuclear borders. Inset zoom in of pS65Ub channel. See for Control and PRKN mutant conditions. J - Skin fibroblasts from PINK1 / PRKN mutant PD donors and healthy controls were treated with valinomycin (1µM, 8 hours) before Western blot analysis. Maximal Parkin activity (revealed by MFN2 ubiquitination, see band shift) and PINK1 activity (substrate pS65Ubiquitination) is only detected in WT cells treated with valinomycin. K - Fibroblasts were treated with valinomycin (1µM, 0-24 hrs) before fixation and immunofluorescence analysis of pS65Ub (green, grayscale in the left hand column), TOM20 (orange) and DNA (blue). Nuclear:cytoplasmic pS65Ub signal intensity from three experiments was quantified, with mean +/-SEM, 2-way ANOVA shown. Red asterisks identify the pS65Ub-histone band *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001. Scale bars 10µm.
Article Snippet: Control primary fibroblasts (#106-05A) were from Cell Applications, Inc., PINK1 (Q456X/Q456X, #sc1028) and Parkin (Ex4-7 del / c.203_204 del AG, #sc1064) mutant fibroblasts are available from the NINDS stem cell repository.
Techniques: Fractionation, Cell Fractionation, Western Blot, Membrane, Immunofluorescence, Transfection, Plasmid Preparation, Expressing, Staining, Marker, Control, Mutagenesis, Derivative Assay, Activation Assay, Activity Assay, Ubiquitin Proteomics, Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay