TFEB degradation is regulated by an IKK/β-TrCP2 phosphorylation-ubiquitination cascade
), generating a phosphodegron recognized by the E3 ligase β-TrCP2, which in turn targets TFEB for proteasomal degradation via ubiquitination of adjacent lysine residues (K430 and K431). Mutation of either the phosphosites or the ubiquitination sites stabilizes TFEB without impairing its ability to translocate to the nucleus, activate target gene expression, or promote tau clearance in a cell model of tauopathy. These findings establish IKK-β-TrCP2 as a core regulatory axis controlling TFEB protein turnover and levels and reveal a mechanistically distinct layer of TFEB regulation that may be leveraged to enhance lysosomal function in disease contexts.
Institutions
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Neurological Research Institute (US)
- Complete Omics (United States) (US)
- Texas Children's Hospital (US)
- High Throughput Biology (United States) (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71001-1
- Primary Topic
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
- Beyond Batten Disease Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Cancer Institute
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences