Identification and characterization of a ubiquitin E3 RING ligase of the Chlamydia-like bacterium Simkania negevensis

In the arms race between a pathogen and the host, the defense mechanisms of the host cell, including the ubiquitin system, are often counteracted by bacteria. Simkania negevensis (Sne), an obligate intracellular Chlamydia-like bacterium connected with respiratory diseases, possesses numerous deubiquitinases, but not much is known about its other ubiquitin-modifying enzymes. Sne infects a wide range of hosts, developing inside a tubular vacuole in close contact with the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. Our study describes an uncharacterized Sne ubiquitin E3 RING-ligase (SNE_A12920 or SneRING), which primarily generates K63- and K11-linked ubiquitin chains and preferentially interacts with UbcH5b and UBE2T E2 enzymes. SneRING is expressed upon infection of various human cell lines, as well as amoebae. We show that a portion of the expressed SneRING co-localizes with mitochondria and ER and that the SneRING interactome includes mitochondrial and ER proteins involved in organelle morphology and stress response. Our work offers an initial characterization of a bacterial RING ligase potentially involved in the host cell remodeling to accommodate the unique intracellular lifestyle of Sne.