K63 polyubiquitination is a new modulator of the oxidative stress response

Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that signals multiple processes, including protein degradation, trafficking, and DNA repair. Polyubiquitin accumulates globally during the oxidative stress response, which has been mainly attributed to increased ubiquitin conjugation and perturbations in protein degradation. Here we show that the unconventional K63-linked polyubiquitin accumulates in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae subjected to peroxides in a highly sensitive and regulated manner. We demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide inhibits the deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp2 leading to accumulation of K63 conjugates assembled by the Rad6-Bre1 ubiquitin conjugase and ligase, respectively. Using linkage-specific isolation methods and SILAC-based quantitative proteomics, we identified >100 new K63 polyubiquitinated targets, which were significantly enriched in ribosomal proteins. Finally, we demonstrated that impairment of K63 ubiquitination during oxidative stress impacts polysome stability and protein expression, rendering cells more sensitive to stress, revealing a new redox-regulatory role for this modification.