Deubiquitination of RIPK3 by OTUB2 potentiates neuronal necroptosis after ischemic stroke

Abstract As a common and severe cerebrovascular disease, ischemic stroke casts a significant shadow over global health. Unfortunately, the mechanisms regulating neuronal death in the affected areas remain largely unclear. Here, we found that deletion of the deubiquitinating enzyme Otubain-2 (OTUB2)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fuqi Mei, Deyu Deng, Zijun Cao, Liyan Lou, Kangmin Chen, Minjie Hu, Zhenhu Zhu, Jiangyun Shen, Jianzhao Zhang, Jie Liang, Jingyong Huang, Min Bao, Ari Waisman, Xu Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-02-01
Series:EMBO Molecular Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-025-00206-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract As a common and severe cerebrovascular disease, ischemic stroke casts a significant shadow over global health. Unfortunately, the mechanisms regulating neuronal death in the affected areas remain largely unclear. Here, we found that deletion of the deubiquitinating enzyme Otubain-2 (OTUB2) significantly alleviated ischemia-induced cerebral infarction and neurological deficits, accompanied by a reduction in neuronal loss, glial activation, and neuroinflammation. OTUB2 was predominantly expressed in neurons and its deletion decreased receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)-mediated neuronal necroptosis. Moreover, OTUB2 increased RIPK3 protein abundance by inhibiting the proteasomal degradation of RIPK3. Mechanistically, OTUB2 removed K48-linked polyubiquitin chains from RIPK3 through its active site C51. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of OTUB2 alleviated ischemic brain injury in mice and reduced oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced neuronal death in human brain organoids. These results demonstrate that OTUB2 critically regulates ischemic stroke injury by potentiating neuronal necroptosis, suggesting that OTUB2 inhibition may become a potential therapeutic approach for treating ischemic stroke.
ISSN:1757-4684