Reply to Vangala et al.: Complete inhibition of the proteasome reduces new proteasome production by causing Nrf1 aggregation

An important adaptation of cells to proteasome inhibition is the induction of new proteasomes via the transcription factor Nrf1 [1,2], which is produced as a precursor bound to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through its amino terminus. Nrf1 was reported to require proteolytic processing to enter the nucleus [3]. Increased proteasome production is induced by low concentrations of proteasome inhibitors that reduce proteolysis by <50%. Surprisingly, in earlier studies we found that proteasome induction and Nrf1 processing to its shorter form (which we estimated to be 75 kDa [2]) were suppressed by high concentrations of inhibitors that markedly reduce proteasome activity [4]. This unusual bimodal concentration dependence implied that some proteasome function was necessary for Nrf1 processing. Because we found that Nrf1 processing also required ubiquitin conjugation [2], we previously proposed that Nrf1 processing is catalyzed by partially inhibited proteasomes [2]. However, Vangala et al.[5] present compelling evidence that conversion of the ER-bound Nrf1 to the shorter form, which they describe as 110 kDa, is independent of proteasomes and is not blocked by high concentrations of proteasome inhibitors. Therefore, we investigated the basis for these differing results. Here we report that we and Vangala et al. have studied the same processed form of Nrf1, the actual molecular weight of which appears to be 90-95 kDa. We confirm our earlier finding [2] that high concentrations of proteasome inhibitors suppress proteasome induction and accumulation of processed Nrf1 in soluble lysates. However, we now show that the inhibitors do so not by blocking Nrf1 processing, but instead by causing the processed Nrf1 to aggregate. Therefore, Nrf1 must be cleaved by a non-proteasomal endoprotease that we show requires ubiquitination. Finally, we provide evidence supporting the recent report that Ddi1/Ddi2 is the critical protease [6,7].