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Functional and Structural Characterization Reveals Novel FBXW7 Biology by Tonny Chao Huang A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Medical Biophysics University of Toronto © Copyright by Tonny Chao Huang 2018 Functional and Structural Characterization Reveals Novel FBXW7 Biology Tonny Chao Huang Master of Science Department of Medical Biophysics University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This thesis aims to examine aspects of FBXW7 biology, a protein that is frequently mutated in a variety of cancers. The first part of this thesis describes the characterization of FBXW7 isoform and mutant substrate profiles using a proximity-dependent biotinylation assay. Isoform-specific substrates were validated, revealing the involvement of FBXW7 in the regulation of several protein complexes. Characterization of FBXW7 mutants also revealed site- and residue-specific consequences on the binding of substrates and, surprisingly, possible neo-substrates. In the second part of this thesis, we utilize high-throughput peptide binding assays and statistical modelling to discover novel features of the FBXW7-binding phosphodegron. In contrast to the canonical motif, a possible preference of FBXW7 for arginine residues at the +4 position was discovered. I then attempted to validate this feature in vivo and in vitro on a novel substrate discovered through BioID. ii Acknowledgments The past three years in the Department of Medical Biophysics have defied expectations. I not only had the opportunity to conduct my own independent research, but also to work with distinguished collaborators and to explore exciting complementary fields. I experienced the freedom to guide my own academic development, as well as to pursue my extracurricular interests. Perhaps most significantly, the amount of personal development I have experienced during this journey has significantly changed my views of my myself and my place within the world. For this, there are those who I will be forever grateful for their guidance, mentorship, and friendship. I would like to first thank my supervisor, Brian. His knowledge and expertise helped guide my research, but it was his kindness and support that allowed me the freedom to complete my graduate studies in my own way. I would also like to thank all members of the Raught Lab that I have had the privilege to cross paths with. The camaraderie shared between the graduate students in the Lab has helped me greatly in completing my degree, so for that I would like to thank Meg, Aaron, Deb, Diana, and Adam. I would also like to thank Étienne, Estelle, and Faith for their technical support and for helping me to get started working in the Lab. I have also befriended many wonderful people within the Department who have helped me along the way, including Nina, Parasvi, Justin, Stanley, Javier, and Danton, to name a few. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their unending support, without which none of this would have been possible. If any regrets were to be had, it would be that I was ultimately unsuccessful in what I had sought out to accomplish at the outset of my studies. While my goals and ambitions now lie elsewhere, I remain hopeful that the contents contained within this thesis may one day be shared beyond the limits of this document. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................................x List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1 – Introduction ..................................................................................................................1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................2 1.1 The ubiquitin-proteasome system ........................................................................................2 1.1.1 Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis ................................................................................3 1.1.2 The ubiquitylation cascade ......................................................................................9 1.1.3 Ubiquitin E3 ligase types .......................................................................................12 1.2 The FBXW7 protein ..........................................................................................................18 1.2.1 F-box proteins and the SCF complex.....................................................................18 1.2.2 Structure and organization of the FBXW7 protein ................................................26 1.2.3 FBXW7 substrates in health and disease ...............................................................30 1.3 Proteomic approaches in studying protein-protein interactions.........................................35 1.3.1 Strategies for the study of protein-protein interactions in vivo ..............................35 1.3.2 Proximity-dependent biotinylation assays .............................................................40 1.3.3 Protein identification via mass spectrometry .........................................................45 1.4 Thesis motivation and outline ............................................................................................48 Chapter 2 – Elucidation of substrate profiles of FBXW7 and mutants through BioID .................49 Elucidation of substrate profiles of FBXW7 isoforms and mutants through BioID .................50 2.1 Chapter overview ...............................................................................................................50 2.2 Contributions......................................................................................................................50 iv 2.3 Materials and methods .......................................................................................................52 2.3.1 Plasmids .................................................................................................................52 2.3.2 Cell lines ................................................................................................................52 2.3.3 BioID and biotin-streptavidin affinity purification ................................................52 2.3.4 Mass spectrometry .................................................................................................53 2.3.5 Immunoblotting......................................................................................................54 2.3.6 Substrate validation via cycloheximide chase .......................................................54 2.3.7 Immunofluorescence imaging ................................................................................55 2.3.8 Data analysis and visualization ..............................................................................55 2.4 Results ................................................................................................................................56 2.4.1 Expression and localization of FlagBirA-FBXW7 isoforms .................................56 2.4.2 FBXW7 isoforms exhibit distinct substrate profiles ..............................................59 2.4.3 CHX chase reveals novel FBXW7 interactors.......................................................64 2.4.4 Effect of hotspot mutations on substrate binding is site- and residue-specific ......70 2.5 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................72 Chapter 3 – Discovery of novel FBXW7 phosphodegron features ...............................................77 Discovery of novel FBXW7 phosphodegron features ..............................................................78 3.1 Chapter overview ...............................................................................................................78 3.2 Contributions......................................................................................................................78 3.3 Materials and methods .......................................................................................................79 3.3.1 Generation of peptide-binding models...................................................................79 3.3.2 Peptide array synthesis and binding .......................................................................79 3.3.3 Mutant phosphodegron cloning and CHX chase ...................................................80 3.3.4 Fluorescence polarization ......................................................................................80 3.4 Results ................................................................................................................................81 3.4.1 Performance of the Cdc4 model ............................................................................81