Inhibition of sequestosome 1/p62 up-regulation prevents aggregation of ubiquitinated proteins induced by prostaglandin J2 without reducing its neurotoxicity

The mechanisms implicated in the aggregation of ubiquitinated proteins detected in neurodegenerative disorders remain elusive. We report that prostaglandin J2 (PGJ2), an endogenous product of inflammation, up-regulates sequestosome 1/p62 in a time- and dose-dependent manner in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. We previously demonstrated that prostaglandins of the J2 series inhibit ubiquitin hydrolases, such as UCH-L1. Herein, we show that sequestosome 1/p62 is co-localized with ubiquitinated proteins and the ubiquitin hydrolase UCH-L1 in cytoplasmic aggregates induced by PGJ2. Preventing sequestosome 1/p62 up-regulation by RNA interference abolishes the aggregation but not the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins or PGJ2 cytotoxicity. Sequestosome 1/p62 is known to bind poly-ubiquitinated proteins through its ubiquitin-associated domain. Our data support the notion that sequestosome 1/p62 up-regulation under stress conditions contributes to the “sequestration” of poly-ubiquitinated proteins into aggregates. However, the overwhelming accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, rather than their aggregation, is likely to be an important contributor to PGJ2 cytotoxicity.