In mammalian cells, one-third of all polypeptides are transported into or across the ER membrane via the Sec61 channel. While the Sec61 complex facilitates translocation of all polypeptides with amino-terminal signal peptides (SP) or transmembrane helices, the Sec61-auxiliary translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex supports translocation of only a subset of precursors. To characterize determinants of TRAP substrate specificity, we here systematically identify TRAP-dependent precursors by analyzing cellular protein abundance changes upon TRAP depletion using quantitative label-free proteomics. The results are validated in independent experiments by western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR, and complementation analysis. The SPs of TRAP clients exhibit above-average glycine-plus-proline content and below-average hydrophobicity as distinguishing features. Thus, TRAP may act as SP receptor on the ER membrane’s cytosolic face, recognizing precursor polypeptides with SPs of high glycine-plus-proline content and/or low hydrophobicity, and triggering substrate-specific opening of the Sec61 channel through interactions with the ER-lumenal hinge of Sec61α.

SummaryCo-translational transport of polypeptides into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) involves the Sec61 channel and additional components such as the ER lumenal Hsp70 BiP and its membrane-resident co-chaperone Sec63p in yeast. We investigated whether silencing the SEC61A1 gene in human cells affects co-and post-translational transport of presecretory proteins into the ER and post-translational membrane integration of tail-anchored proteins. Although silencing the SEC61A1 gene in HeLa cells inhibited co-and post-translational transport of signal-peptide-containing precursor proteins into the ER of semi-permeabilized cells, silencing the SEC61A1 gene did not affect transport of various types of tail-anchored protein. Furthermore, we demonstrated, with a similar knockdown approach, a precursor-specific involvement of mammalian Sec63 in the initial phase of co-translational protein transport into the ER. By contrast, silencing the SEC62 gene inhibited only post-translational transport of a signal-peptide-containing precursor protein.

Summary In eukaryotes, up to a third of cellular proteins are targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they undergo folding, processing, sorting and trafficking to subsequent endomembrane compartments1. ER targeting has been shown to occur cotranslationally by the SRP (Signal Recognition Particle) pathway2 or post translationally by the mammalian TRC40 (Transmembrane Recognition Complex of 40kDa)3,4 and its homologous yeast GET (Guided Entry of Tail-anchored proteins)5,6 pathways. Despite the wide breadth of proteins that can be catered for by these two pathways, many proteins are still known to be both SRP and GET independent, hence there seems to be a critical need for an additional dedicated pathway for ER relay7,8. We set out to uncover additional targeting proteins using unbiased high-content screening approaches. To this end, we performed a systematic visual screen using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae9,10, and uncovered three uncharacterized proteins whose loss affected targeting. We suggest that these proteins work concertedly and demonstrate that they function in parallel to both SRP and GET to target a broad range of substrates. The three proteins, which we now name SND1, SND2 and SND3 (SRP-iNDependent targeting), can synthetically compensate for the loss of both the SRP and GET pathway, and act as a backup targeting system. This explains why it has previously been difficult to demonstrate complete loss of targeting for some substrates. Our discovery thus puts in place an essential piece of the ER targeting puzzle, highlighting how the targeting apparatus of the eukaryotic cell is robust, interlinked and flexible.

In mammalian cells, signal peptide‐dependent protein transport into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is mediated by a dynamic protein‐conducting channel, the Sec61 complex. Previous work has characterized the Sec61 channel as a potential ER Ca2+ leak channel and identified calmodulin as limiting Ca2+ leakage in a Ca2+‐dependent manner by binding to an IQ motif in the cytosolic aminoterminus of Sec61α. Here, we manipulated the concentration of the ER lumenal chaperone BiP in cells in different ways and used live cell Ca2+ imaging to monitor the effects of reduced levels of BiP on ER Ca2+ leakage. Regardless of how the BiP concentration was lowered, the absence of available BiP led to increased Ca2+ leakage via the Sec61 complex. When we replaced wild‐type Sec61α with mutant Sec61αY344H in the same model cell, however, Ca2+ leakage from the ER increased and was no longer affected by manipulation of the BiP concentration. Thus, BiP limits ER Ca2+ leakage through the Sec61 complex by binding to the ER lumenal loop 7 of Sec61α in the vicinity of tyrosine 344.

In eukaryotic cells, one-third of all proteins must be transported across or inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by the ER protein translocon. The translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex is an integral component of the translocon, assisting the Sec61 protein-conducting channel by regulating signal sequence and transmembrane helix insertion in a substrate-dependent manner. Here we use cryo-electron tomography (CET) to study the structure of the native translocon in evolutionarily divergent organisms and disease-linked TRAP mutant fibroblasts from human patients. The structural differences detected by subtomogram analysis form a basis for dissecting the molecular organization of the TRAP complex. We assign positions to the four TRAP subunits within the complex, providing insights into their individual functions. The revealed molecular architecture of a central translocon component advances our understanding of membrane protein biogenesis and sheds light on the role of TRAP in human congenital disorders of glycosylation.