Inhibition of Ubiquitin Thioester Transfer by Targeting a Helix-in-Groove Interaction between E1 and E2

In eukaryotes, E1 initiates the ubiquitin cascade by adenylation and thioesterification of the ubiquitin C-terminus and subsequent transfer of ubiquitin to E2 enzymes. A clinical-grade small molecule that binds to the E1 ATP binding site and covalently derivatizes the ubiquitin C-terminus effectively shuts down E1 enzymatic activity. However, mutation at or near the ATP binding site of E1 causes resistance, mandating alternative approaches to blocking what is otherwise a promising cancer target. Here, we identified a helix-in-groove interaction between the N-terminal alpha-1 helix of E2 and a pocket within the ubiquitin fold domain of E1 as a druggable site of protein interaction. By generating and optimizing stapled alpha-helical peptides (SAHs) modeled after the E2 alpha-1 helix, we achieve site-specific engagement of E1, induce a consequential conformational change, and effectively block E1 enzymatic activity, resulting in a generalized disruption of E2 ubiquitin-charging that suppresses ubiquitination of cellular proteins. Thus, we provide a blueprint for an alternative E1-targeting strategy for the treatment of cancer. Hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry was used to characterize the predominant E1 enzyme in mammals (UBE1, a 118 kDa multi-domain enzyme that catalyzes both ubiquitin adenylation and thioesterification) in the unbound state. We then interrogated the structural impact of UBE1 interaction with the stapled peptide SAH-UBE2A and several mutants. The observed peptide-induced exposure of the ubiquitin-fold domain (UFD) linker hinge in UBE1 was consistent with an inhibitory mechanism whereby SAH-UBE2A locks UBE1 into its proximal UFD conformation.