Werner helicase-interacting protein 1 binds polyubiquitin via its zinc finger domain

DNA repair is regulated on many levels by ubiquitination. In order to identify novel connections between DNA repair pathways and ubiquitin signaling, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that interact with lysine 6-linked polyubiquitin chains. From this proteomic screen, we identified the DNA repair protein WRNIP1 (Werner helicase-interacting protein 1), along with nucleosome assembly protein 1, as novel ubiquitin-interacting proteins. We found that a small zinc finger domain at the N terminus of WRNIP1 is sufficient and necessary for noncovalent ubiquitin binding. This ubiquitin-binding zinc finger (UBZ) domain binds polyubiquitin but not monoubiquitin and appears to show no specificity for polyubiquitin chain linkage. A homologous zinc finger domain in RAD18 also binds polyubiquitin, suggesting a wider role for the UBZ domain in DNA repair. The WRNIP1 ubiquitin-binding function, along with its previously established ATPase activity, suggests that WRNIP1 plays a role in the metabolism of ubiquitinated proteins. Supporting this model, deletion of MGS1, the yeast homolog of WRNIP1, slows the rate of ubiquitin turnover, rendering yeast resistant to cycloheximide. We also find that WRNIP1 is heavily modified with ubiquitin and SUMO, revealing complex layers in the involvement of ubiquitin pathway proteins in the regulation of DNA repair. The novel ubiquitin-binding ability of WRNIP1 sheds light on the role of UBZ domain-containing proteins in postreplication DNA repair.