Insertion of tail-anchored proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane

Prior to post-translational insertion by ASNA1, SGTA binds the transmembrane domain of the substrate TA protein immediately after translation, the SGTA:TA protein complex then binds the BAG6 complex (BAG6:GET4:UBL4A) via UBL4A, and the TA protein is transferred to ASNA1, also bound by the BAG6 complex via UBL4A. The ASNA1:TA protein complex then docks at the WRB:CAMLG (WRB:CAML) complex located in the ER membrane and the TA protein is inserted into the ER membrane by an uncharacterized mechanism that involves ATP and the transmembrane domain insertase activity of the WRB:CAML complex (Vilardi et al. 2011, Vilardi et al. 2014, Vogl et al. 2016, and inferred from yeast in Wang et al. 2014).

Misfolded TA proteins, overexpressed TA proteins, and membrane proteins mislocalized in the cytosol bind SGTA but are not efficiently transferred to ASNA1 and, instead, are retained by BAG6 which recruits RNF126 to ubiquitinate them, targeting them for degradation by the proteasome (Wang et al. 2011, Leznicki and High 2012, Xu et al. 2012, Rodrigo-Brenni et al. 2014, Wunderly et al. 2014, Shao et al. 2017, reviewed in Lee and Ye 2013, Casson et al. 2016, Krysztofinska et al. 2016, Guna and Hegde 2018).