Reduction in adaptor amounts establishes degradation hierarchy among protease substrates

Significance A given protease typically degrades multiple substrates that serve different functions and may be required in variable amounts under specific cellular conditions. Some substrates require adaptor proteins to be delivered to the protease. We find that changes in the abundance of an adaptor can lead to differential degradation of substrates that have different affinities for the adaptor. Thus, adaptor amounts can have a broad impact, as illustrated by the increase in antibiotic persister bacteria when the abundance of the ClpS adaptor is decreased. Specific growth conditions decrease ClpS abundance decreasing proteolysis of a subset of ClpSAP substrates.