Photocatalytic Golgi Proteomics Reveals Palmitoylation-Regulated Golgiphagy

Abstract

The Golgi apparatus (GA) orchestrates protein modification, trafficking, and secretion through highly dynamic remodeling, yet its proteomic complexity remains difficult to resolve in living systems. Here, we report CAT-Golgi, a genetically independent and light-controlled photocatalytic proximity labeling strategy for in situ spatiotemporal mapping of the Golgi-associated proteome. Combining a cysteine-conjugated eosin photocatalyst (GolgiCat) with an aniline probe, CAT-Golgi enables rapid and precise protein labeling within minutes under mild green light, requiring no genetic manipulation and operating efficiently in hard-to-transfect and primary cells. Leveraging our extensive efforts in organelle-targeted photocatalytic systems, we extended this chemistry to the highly dynamic and reversible Golgi apparatus. CAT-Golgi achieved quantitative and comparative proteomics in HeLa, K562, Jurkat and primary HEKa cells, revealing both conserved and cell-type-specific profiles. Under Brefeldin A-induced Golgiphagy, CAT-Golgi captured large-scale proteome remodeling and identified palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) as a potential regulatory component. PPT1 downregulation enhanced ULK1 and TRPML1 palmitoylation, disrupted redox balance, and activated Golgiphagy. CAT-Golgi provides a broadly applicable chemical platform for decoding organelle dynamics, offering both conceptual and technical foundations for extending photocatalytic proteomics to other transient organelles and illuminating molecular mechanisms of organelle plasticity and disease progression.