Identification of a 26S proteasome-associated UCH in fission yeast

We have identified a 26S proteasome-associated ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (UCH) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The gene (designated uch2+) encodes a protein containing a UCH catalytic domain at its N-terminus and a short extension at its C-terminus. uch2+ is nonessential as the uch2 null mutant strain showed no significant difference from the wild-type strain. The GFP-tagged Uch2p is localized predominantly to the nuclear periphery, which is similar to the 26S proteasome localization. Deletion of the C-terminal extension of Uch2p resulted in a drastic change of its subcellular localization: it showed a generally diffused distribution instead of a perinuclear pattern. Glycerol gradient centrifugation analysis and coimmunoprecipitation studies of fission yeast extracts using anti-Mts4p antiserum suggest that Uch2p is associated with the 26S proteasome and the association of Uch2p with the 26S proteasome is mediated by its C-terminal extension.