Diadenosine tetraphosphate as a cosubstrate for AMPylation mediated by FICD

Diadenosine polyphosphates (ApnAs) are noncanonical nucleotides that are ubiquitous across all forms of life. Due to their strong accumulation upon cellular stress, they are considered alarmones to signal homeostatic imbalance. Nonetheless, their cellular role is poorly understood. In this work, we assessed ApnAs for their usage as cosubstrate for protein AMPylation, a post-translational modification. In humans, AMPylation mediated by the AMPylator FICD with ATP as cosubstrate is a response to ER stress. Here, we demonstrate that Ap4A is proficiently consumed for AMPylation by FICD. By chemical proteomics using a new chemical probe, we identified new potential AMPylation targets. Interestingly, we found that AMPylation targets of FICD may differ depending on the nucleotide cosubstrate. These results may suggest that signaling at elevated Ap4A levels during cellular stress differs from when Ap4A is present at low concentrations allowing response to extracellular cues.