Supplementary Table S7, Table showing source data and statistics for non-high-throughput experiments such as flow cytometry, quantitative PCR, protein experiments and other molecular and cellular assays.
Supplementary Table S3, Quantitative whole proteome analysis of pooled sorted GCB-cells from Fbxo45 homozygous knockout mice compared with identically isolated cells from wild-type littermates.
Mitotic surveillance pathways monitor the duration of mitosis (M phase) in the cell cycle. Prolonged M phase, caused by spindle attachment defects or microtubule-targeting drugs, triggers formation of the ternary 'mitotic stopwatch pathway' complex (MSP) consisting of 53BP1, USP28, and p53. This complex stabilizes p53, leading to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in daughter cells. In cancers that are resistant to paclitaxel, a microtubule-targeting agent, cells bypass mitotic surveillance activation, allowing unchecked proliferation, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify GMCL1 as a key negative regulator of MSP signaling. We show that 53BP1 physically interacts with GMCL1, but not its paralog GMCL2, and we map their interaction domains. CRL3GMCL1 functions as a ubiquitin ligase that targets 53BP1 for degradation during the M phase, thereby reducing p53 accumulation in daughter cells. Depletion of GMCL1 inhibits cell cycle progression upon release from prolonged mitotic arrest, a defect that is rescued by co-silencing 53BP1 or USP28. Moreover, GMCL1 depletion sensitizes cancer cells to paclitaxel in a p53-dependent manner. Together, our findings support a model in which dysregulated CRL3GMCL1-mediated degradation of 53BP1 prevents proper MSP function, leading to p53 degradation and continued proliferation. Targeting GMCL1 may, therefore, represent one possible avenue for addressing paclitaxel resistance in cancer cells with functional p53.
Somatic mutations rewire the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) to support tumor growth, but the proteome-wide consequences of cancer-driver alterations on UPS composition remain incompletely understood. Using harmonized proteogenomic data from up to 11 CPTAC cohorts, we performed an integrated pan-cancer analysis of UPS protein dysregulation, prognostic associations, and mutation-driven remodeling. We show that mRNA poorly predicts UPS protein abundance, that a defined set of E3 ligases is recurrently dysregulated across cancers, and that somatic mutations (most strikingly TP53 loss) produce coherent UPS protein-quantitative trait locus (pQTL) signatures. Two case studies (UBR5 and TRIM28) illustrate orthogonal modes of UPS rewiring: a mutation-driven axis in which TP53-mutant tumors elevate UBR5 to support replication stress tolerance, and a lineage-driven axis in which TRIM28 engages tissue-restricted regulatory networks with opposing prognostic effects in glioblastoma versus head and neck cancer. Each axis exposes context-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities, including sensitivity to DNA damage response inhibitors (UBR5-high) and lineage-specific drug responses (TRIM28-high). Together, these analyses define a mechanistic framework for how cancer-driver mutations reshape proteostasis through the UPS and nominate mutation- and lineage-defined dependencies for precision degrader therapy. The harmonized pan-tissue atlas and the UbiDash interactive resource that underpin parts of this analysis are reported in our companion paper1.
Supplementary Table S2, Mass spectrometric (MS) identification of GEF-H1-derived peptides in FBXO45 immunoprecipitation. FLAG-tagged FBXO45 expressing B-cell lymphoma cell lines were subjected to immunoprecipitation (IP) with anti-FLAG resin. MS analysis of co-purified endogenous proteins revealed the presence of numerous GEF-H1-derived peptides.
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are fundamental to cellular signaling networks, yet many remain undetected due to technical limitations of individual affinity purification approaches. To address this, we systematically mapped the interaction landscapes of six regulatory proteins involved in cell proliferation, immunity, and inflammation, including three transcription factors (TFs) and three kinases. We implemented an integrated proteomics workflow that combined four complementary affinity purification strategies: native immunoprecipitation, two crosslinking-assisted capture methods, and proximity labeling. Combining these approaches revealed distinct yet overlapping interaction profiles, uncovered numerous previously unreported interactors not reliably detected by individual methods, and robustly recovered known interactions while substantially extending PPI networks. Despite method-specific differences at the protein level, functional enrichment analyses showed strong convergence on coherent biological pathways. Biochemical approaches validated most of the previously unreported interactions, including putative weak and transient complexes stabilized by crosslinking. Functional assays revealed a previously unrecognized physical interaction between FOXA1 and PBX1 TFs and demonstrated their cooperative regulation of transcriptional programs and cell fitness in estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cells. We propose that the FOXA1-PBX1 complex could represent a higher-order regulatory node integrating chromatin accessibility and ER-driven transcriptional output.
Targeted protein degradation repurposes endogenous E3 ubiquitin ligases to eliminate disease-driving proteins, yet the ligase toolkit deployed clinically remains narrow and largely tissue-agnostic. To support rational expansion of this toolkit, we built a harmonized pan-tissue proteomic atlas of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) by integrating four major resources: (1) CPTAC tumor and normal-adjacent tissues, (2) PRIDE healthy tissues, (3) the Pan-Cancer Proteome Atlas (TPCPA), and (4) the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). The resulting atlas spans 20 distinct tissue contexts and quantifies 5998 proteins, including 473 UPS components and 181 E3 ligases. Cross-resource validation confirmed successful harmonization while maintaining biological signal. We then derived a sample-level relative rank score (RRS) for every quantified UPS protein and identified 139 E3 ligases (of 181 detected) as being significantly tissue- or tumor-specific, including XIAP in lung cancer, KLHL7 in female-specific malignancies, and FBXL18 in head-and-neck and brain tumors. To enable broad accessibility, we developed UbiDash ( https://ruggleslab.shinyapps.io/UbiDash/ ), an interactive R Shiny platform that supports queries of UPS expression, mutation effects, protein co-regulation, and clinical associations. Together, the atlas and UbiDash provide a tissue-aware framework for ligase prioritization and rational degrader design that complements the mechanistic mutation- and lineage-driven UPS analyses described in our companion manuscript [1].
Chromatin regulation critically influences gene expression and cancer progression, yet the functions of chromatin adaptors remain incompletely defined. Using focused CRISPR screening, we identified TRIM28, a multi-domain chromatin adaptor, as a dependency in acute leukemia, where its depletion impaired leukemia cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo , while activating neutrophil differentiation programs. Integrative transcriptomic and chromatin profiling revealed that TRIM28 acts as a co-repressor of neutrophil-associated loci independently of H3K9 methylation, and that TRIM28 loss drives terminal differentiation of leukemia cells into functionally mature neutrophil-like cells with reduced leukemic potential. We developed a selective small-molecule TRIM28 inhibitor that binds the TRIM28 PHD-bromodomain, phenocopies TRIM28 loss across biochemical and cellular assays, exhibits low micromolar anti-leukemia activity, induces neutrophil differentiation, and synergizes with Menin inhibition. Together, these findings, spanning target discovery, mechanism of action, and chemical probe development, establish TRIM28 as a regulator of myeloid cell fate and a promising pro-differentiation therapeutic target in acute leukemia.
Supplementary Data file shows all the supplementary figures, figure legends and supplementary table legends.
Supplementary Table S1 shows FBXO45 interactions by immunoprecipitation–tandem mass spectrometry. Normalized Spectral Abundance Factor (NSAF) was calculated as previously published (63). Average NSAFs (n = 3) for the indicated proteins are shown, and the data were obtained from at least three independent experiments.
Supplementary Table S6, Details of the FISH probes used to identify copy number variations (CNV) affecting FBXO45 and ARHGEF2 in clinical samples.
Supplementary Table S4, Whole genome sequencing of FL, DLBCL and transformed DLBCL reveal loss of FBXO45 as well as copy number gain encompassing ARHGEF2, the gene that encodes GEF H1 protein. Table showing frequency of genomic loss of FBXO45 and gain of ARHGEF2 in DLBCL respectively.
To define and systematically characterize the human E3 ubiquitin ligase (E3) landscape, we generated the E3-ome, a compendium of E3s encoded by the human genome. The E3-ome integrates experimental data, bioinformatics, and published research, revealing 672 high-confidence E3s. We standardized E3 classifications to create a unified framework for annotation and comparative analysis. The E3-ome identified several previously unrecognized domains, motifs, E3 candidates, and relationships, expanding the diversity of E3s. Furthermore, the E3-ome mapped the spatial and physiological organization of E3s across human tissues and cell types, revealing context-dependent E3s. Genetic analyses identified disease-associated variants across the E3-ome, linking E3s to diverse human pathologies. Together, these analyses define the human E3 landscape at high resolution and deliver a foundational resource to drive mechanistic and therapeutic discovery.
Supplementary Table S5, FISH analysis to identify copy number variations (CNV) affecting genes of interest within the corresponding genomic loci.
The role of ubiquitin-mediated degradation mechanisms in the pathogenesis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (BCL) and follicular lymphoma is not completely understood. We show that conditional deletion of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Fbxo45 in germinal center B cells results in B-cell lymphomagenesis in homozygous (100%) and heterozygous (48%) mice. Mechanistically, FBXO45 targets the RHO guanine exchange factor ARHGEF2/GEF-H1 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Double genetic ablation of Fbxo45 and Arhgef2 ameliorated lymphoma formation. Transgenic knock-in mice harboring a GEF-H1 mutant unable to bind FBXO45 develop BCLs with similar to 50% penetrance. Genome sequencing in human lymphomas identified mutually exclusive FBXO45 copy-number losses and ARHGEF2 gains, with combined frequencies ranging from 26.32% in follicular lymphoma to 45.12% in diffuse large BCL. Notably, FBXO45 silencing enhances sensitivity to MEK1/2 inhibition. These results identify FBXO45 and ARHGEF2 as a novel tumor suppressor and oncogene pair involved in the pathogenesis of BCLs with important implications for targeted therapies.Significance: We describe the identification of a previously unrecognized ubiquitin ligase-substrate (FBXO45-GEF-H1) regulatory axis that plays an important role in germinal center formation and pathogenesis of common BCLs. These studies reveal novel insights linking dysregulated ubiquitin-mediated control to exploitable vulnerabilities and novel therapeutic strategies for these cancers.
Abstract In healthy cells, cyclin D1 is expressed during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, where it activates CDK4 and CDK6. Its dysregulation is a well-established oncogenic driver in numerous human cancers. The cancer-related function of cyclin D1 has been primarily studied by focusing on the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma (RB) gene product. Here, using an integrative approach combining bioinformatic analyses and biochemical experiments, we show that GTSE1 (G-Two and S phases expressed protein 1), a protein positively regulating cell cycle progression, is a previously unrecognized substrate of cyclin D1-CDK4/6 in tumor cells overexpressing cyclin D1 during G1 and subsequent phases. The phosphorylation of GTSE1 mediated by cyclin D1-CDK4/6 inhibits GTSE1 degradation, leading to high levels of GTSE1 across all cell cycle phases. Functionally, the phosphorylation of GTSE1 promotes cellular proliferation and is associated with poor prognosis within a pan-cancer cohort. Our findings provide insights into cyclin D1’s role in cell cycle control and oncogenesis beyond RB phosphorylation.
Human embryonic carcinoma (hEC) cells are derived from teratocarcinomas, exhibit robust proliferation, have a high differentiation potential, are the malignant counterparts of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and are considered hESC-like. The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), made up of the microtuble binding protein Borealin, the kinase Aurora-B, the CPC-stabilizing inner centromere protein (INCENP), and the inhibitor of apoptosis family member Survivin, regulates cell division and is active exclusively during mitosis in somatic cells. The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and its cofactor Cdh1 (APC/C Cdh1 ) is a ubiquitylating complex that catalyzes the degradation of Aurora-B and Borealin in somatic cells but has low activity during interphase in hESCs. Here, we found that Borealin and Aurora-B exhibited sustained stability throughout the cell cycle of hEC cells due to low APC/C Cdh1 activity. In contrast with somatic cells, CPC activity persisted across the cell cycle of hEC cells because of diminished APC/C Cdh1 activity. Disrupting the CPC complex by depleting its constituents triggered spontaneous differentiation in hEC cells. As hEC cells differentiated, APC/C Cdh1 activation curtailed CPC activity. Inactivating the CPC by pharmacologically inhibiting Aurora-B induced hEC cell differentiation by activating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Hence, APC/C Cdh1 -mediated termination of CPC activity triggered hEC cell differentiation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a role for the CPC in governing hESC cell fate.
Cyclin D1 is the activating subunit of the cell cycle kinases CDK4 and CDK6, and its dysregulation is a well-known oncogenic driver in many human cancers. The biological function of cyclin D1 has been primarily studied by focusing on the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma (RB) gene product. Here, using an integrative approach combining bioinformatic analyses and biochemical experiments, we show that GTSE1 (G2 and S phases expressed protein 1), a protein positively regulating cell cycle progression, is a previously unknown substrate of cyclin D1-CDK4/6. The phosphorylation of GTSE1 mediated by cyclin D1-CDK4/6 inhibits GTSE1 degradation, leading to high levels of GTSE1 also during the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Functionally, the phosphorylation of GTSE1 promotes cellular proliferation and is associated with poor prognosis within a pan-cancer cohort. Our findings provide insights into cyclin D1’s role in cell cycle control and oncogenesis beyond RB phosphorylation.