The Proteasomal Deubiquitinating Enzyme PSMD14 Regulates Macroautophagy by Controlling Golgi-to-ER Retrograde Transport

Ubiquitination regulates several biological processes, however the role of specific members of the ubiquitinome on intracellular membrane trafficking is not yet fully understood. Here, we search for ubiquitin-related genes implicated in protein membrane trafficking performing a High-Content siRNA Screening including 1187 genes of the human “ubiquitinome” using amyloid precursor protein (APP) as a reporter. We identified the deubiquitinating enzyme PSMD14, a subunit of the 19S regulatory particle of the proteasome, specific for K63-Ub chains in cells, as a novel regulator of Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrograde transport. Silencing or pharmacological inhibition of PSMD14 with Capzimin (CZM) caused a robust increase in APP levels at the Golgi apparatus and the swelling of this organelle. We showed that this phenotype is the result of rapid inhibition of Golgi-to-ER retrograde transport, a pathway implicated in the early steps of the autophagosomal formation. Indeed, we observed that inhibition of PSMD14 with CZM acts as a potent blocker of macroautophagy by a mechanism related to the retention of Atg9A and Rab1A at the Golgi apparatus. As pharmacological inhibition of the proteolytic core of the 20S proteasome did not recapitulate these effects, we concluded that PSMD14, and the K63-Ub chains, act as a crucial regulatory factor for macroautophagy by controlling Golgi-to-ER retrograde transport.