Ubiquitinated protein conjugates are specifically enriched in the lysosomal system of fibroblasts

Ubiquitin-protein conjugates are found by immunogold electron microscopy to be enriched (12-fold) in the lysosomal compartment of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. Treatment of fibroblasts with the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64 leads to an expansion of the lysosomal compartment and as a result an increase in the cellular content of ubiquitin-protein conjugates. There is no change in the specific enrichment of ubiquitin-protein conjugates in the lysosomal compartment following E-64 treatment. The results suggest that some ubiquitin-protein conjugates may normally be degraded lysosomally following sequestration by microautophagy and imply that protein ubiquitination may be one of the signals for protein uptake into lysosomes.