Disassembly of the self-assembled, double-ring structure of proteasome α7 homo-tetradecamer by α6

The 20S core particle of the eukaryotic proteasome is composed of two α- and two β-rings, each of which is a hetero-heptamer composed of seven homologous but distinct subunits. Although formation of the eukaryotic proteasome is a highly ordered process assisted by assembly chaperones, α7, an α-ring component, has the unique property of self-assembling into a homo-tetradecamer. We used biophysical methods to characterize the oligomeric states of this proteasome subunit and its interaction with α6, which makes direct contacts with α7 in the proteasome α-ring. We determined a crystal structure of the α7 tetradecamer, which has a double-ring structure. Sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation and mass spectrometric analysis under non-denaturing conditions revealed that α7 exclusively exists as homo-tetradecamer in solution and that its double-ring structure is disassembled upon the addition of α6, resulting in a 1:7 hetero-octameric α6–α7 complex. Our findings suggest that proteasome formation involves the disassembly of non-native oligomers, which are assembly intermediates.