The SET1/COMPASS subunit RBBP5 orchestrates epigenetic control of global proteostasis and the 12h oscillator to safeguard metabolic and cellular homeostasis

Proteostasis is vital for cellular health, with disruptions leading to aging, neurodegeneration and metabolic disorders. Traditionally, proteotoxic stress responses were studied as acute reactions to various noxious factors; however, recent evidence reveals that many proteostasis genes exhibit ~12h ultradian rhythms under physiological conditions in mammals, driven by an XBP1s-dependent 12h oscillator. By examining the chromatin landscape of this oscillator, we identified RBBP5 as an essential epigenetic regulator of global proteostasis dynamics. Mechanistically, as the core subunit of the SET1/COMPASS complex, RBBP5 co-activates XBP1s to facilitate dynamic proteostasis gene expression by marking promoter-proximal H3K4me3, which further recruits the Integrator Complex and SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers. Functionally, RBBP5 is indispensable for regulating both the 12h oscillator and acute transcriptional response to various proteotoxic stresses, including ER stress and nutrient deprivation. RBBP5 ablation causes increased susceptibility to proteotoxic stress, chronic inflammation, and hepatic steatosis in mice, along with impaired autophagy and reduced cell survival in vitro. In humans, lower RBBP5 expression is associated with reduced adaptive stress-response gene expression and hepatic steatosis. Our findings not only highlight a previously unrecognized epigenetic timing mechanism distinct from circadian regulation but also establish RBBP5 as a central regulator of proteostasis, essential for cellular resilience and organismal health.