KIAA0368-deficiency affects disassembly of 26S proteasome under oxidative stress condition

Many cellular stresses cause damages of intracellular proteins, which are eventually degraded by the ubiquitin and proteasome system. The proteasome is a multicatalytic protease complex composed of 20S core particle and the proteasome activators that regulate the proteasome activity. Extracellular mutants 29 (Ecm29) is a 200 kDa protein encoded by KIAA0368 gene, associates with the proteasome, but its role is largely unknown. Here, we generated KIAA0368-deficient mice and investigated the function of Ecm29 in stress response. KIAA0368-deficient mice showed normal peptidase activity and proteasome formation at normal condition. Under stressed condition, 26S proteasome dissociates in wild-type cells, but not in KIAA0368(-/-) cells. This response was correlated with efficient degradation of damaged proteins and resistance to oxidative stress of KIAA0368(-/-) cells. Thus, Ecm29 is involved in the dissociation process of 26S proteasome, providing clue to analyse the mechanism of proteasomal degradation under various stress condition.