Mechanistic Insights into Proteomic Mutation-Phenotype Linkages from Tiling Mutagenesis Screens

Abstract

High-throughput mutagenesis screens are powerful tools for mapping mutations to phenotypes. However, deciphering the molecular mechanisms that link mutations to phenotypic outcomes remains a significant challenge. Here, we present ProTiler-Mut, a versatile computational framework that harnesses tiling mutagenesis screens, which introduce variants across entire protein sequences, to facilitate investigation of mutation-to-phenotype associations at multiple levels, including individual residues, protein substructures, and protein-protein interactions (PPIs). As demonstrated through our analyses of base editing (BE) screens targeting DNA Damage Response (DDR) proteins and T cell regulators, ProTiler-Mut provides novel insights into the mutation-phenotype linkages, including: i) refined classification of mutation that reveals separation-of-function (SOF) category beyond the conventional binary classification of loss-of-function (LOF) and gain-of-function (GOF); ii) definition of phenotype-associated hotspot substructures that enable the inference of the function of unscreened pathogenic mutations; and iii) identification of phenotype-associated PPIs disrupted by functional mutations. Through ProTiler-Mut analyses, we identified a substructure harboring pathogenic GOF mutations that disrupt interactions between the kinases MAPK1 and RSK1, leading to MAPK1 activation and elevated expression of the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of ProTiler-Mut to various mutagenesis screening platforms, highlighting its broad utility and generalizability.