Isolation and characterisation of a cDNA encoding rat mitochondrial GrpE, a stress-inducible nucleotide-exchange factor of ubiquitous appearance in mammalian organs

Differential regulation of degradation and immune pathways underlies adaptation of the ectosymbiotic nematode Laxus oneistus to oxic-anoxic interfaces

Eukaryotes may experience oxygen deprivation under both physiological and pathological conditions. Because oxygen shortage leads to a reduction in cellular energy production, all eukaryotes studied so far conserve energy by suppressing their metabolism. However, the molecular physiology of animals that naturally and repeatedly experience anoxia is underexplored. One such animal is the marine nematode Laxus oneistus. It thrives, invariably coated by its sulfur-oxidizing symbiont Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti, in anoxic sulfidic or hypoxic sand. Here, transcriptomics and proteomics showed that, whether in anoxia or not, L. oneistus mostly expressed genes involved in ubiquitination, energy generation, oxidative stress response, immune response, development, and translation. Importantly, ubiquitination genes were also highly expressed when the nematode was subjected to anoxic sulfidic conditions, together with genes involved in autophagy, detoxification and ribosome biogenesis. We hypothesize that these degradation pathways were induced to recycle damaged cellular components (mitochondria) and misfolded proteins into nutrients. Remarkably, when L. oneistus was subjected to anoxic sulfidic conditions, lectin and mucin genes were also upregulated, potentially to promote the attachment of its thiotrophic symbiont. Furthermore, the nematode appeared to survive oxygen deprivation by using an alternative electron carrier (rhodoquinone) and acceptor (fumarate), to rewire the electron transfer chain. On the other hand, under hypoxia, genes involved in costly processes (e.g., amino acid biosynthesis, development, feeding, mating) were upregulated, together with the worm's Toll-like innate immunity pathway and several immune effectors (e.g., bactericidal/permeability-increasing proteins, fungicides). In conclusion, we hypothesize that, in anoxic sulfidic sand, L. oneistus upregulates degradation processes, rewires the oxidative phosphorylation and reinforces its coat of bacterial sulfur-oxidizers. In upper sand layers, instead, it appears to produce broad-range antimicrobials and to exploit oxygen for biosynthesis and development.

Mitochondrial HSP70 Chaperone System-The Influence of Post-Translational Modifications and Involvement in Human Diseases

Since their discovery, heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been identified in all domains of life, which demonstrates their importance and conserved functional role in maintaining protein homeostasis. Mitochondria possess several members of the major HSP sub-families that perform essential tasks for keeping the organelle in a fully functional and healthy state. In humans, the mitochondrial HSP70 chaperone system comprises a central molecular chaperone, mtHSP70 or mortalin (HSPA9), which is actively involved in stabilizing and importing nuclear gene products and in refolding mitochondrial precursor proteins, and three co-chaperones (HSP70-escort protein 1-HEP1, tumorous imaginal disc protein 1-TID-1, and Gro-P like protein E-GRPE), which regulate and accelerate its protein folding functions. In this review, we summarize the roles of mitochondrial molecular chaperones with particular focus on the human mtHsp70 and its co-chaperones, whose deregulated expression, mutations, and post-translational modifications are often considered to be the main cause of neurological disorders, genetic diseases, and malignant growth.

75-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP75) is a novel molecular signature for heat stress response in avian species

Glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75) was first characterized in mammals as a heat shock protein-70 (HSP70) family stress chaperone based on its sequence homology. Extensive studies in mammals showed that GRP75 is induced by various stressors such as glucose deprivation, oxidative stress, and hypoxia, although it remained unresponsive to the heat shock. Such investigations are scarce in avian (nonmammalian) species. We here identified chicken GRP75 by using immunoprecipitation assay integrated with LC-MS/MS, and found that its amino acid sequence is conserved with high homology (52.5%) to the HSP70 family. Bioinformatics and 3D-structure prediction indicate that, like most HSPs, chicken GRP75 has two principal domains (the NH2-terminal ATPase and COOH-terminal region). Immunofluorescence staining shows that GRP75 is localized predominantly in the avian myoblast and hepatocyte mitochondria. Heat stress exposure upregulates GRP75 expression in a species-, genotype-, and tissue-specific manner. Overexpression of GRP75 reduces avian cell viability, and blockade of GRP75 by its small molecular inhibitor MKT-077 rescues avian cell viability during heat stress. Taken together, this is the first evidence showing that chicken GRP75, unlike its mammalian ortholog, is responsive to heat shock and plays a key role in cell survival/death pathways. Since modern avian species have high metabolic rates and are sensitive to high environmental temperature, GRP75 could open new vistas in mechanistic understanding of heat stress responses and thermotolerance in avian species.

Functional analysis of the Chloroplast GrpE (CGE) proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana

The function of proteins depends on specific partners that regulate protein folding, degradation and protein-protein interactions, such partners are the chaperones and cochaperones. In chloroplasts, proteins belonging to several families of chaperones have been identified: chaperonins (Cpn60s), Hsp90s (Hsp90-5/Hsp90C), Hsp100s (Hsp93/ClpC) and Hsp70s (cpHsc70s). Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that cpHsc70 chaperones are involved in molecular processes like protein import, protein folding and oligomer formation that impact important physiological aspects in plants such as thermotolerance and thylakoid biogenesis. Despite the vast amount of data existing around the function of cpHcp70s chaperones, very little attention has been paid to the roles of DnaJ and GrpE cochaperones in the chloroplast. In this study, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of the chloroplastic GrpE (CGE) proteins from 71 species. Based on their phylogenetic relationships and on a motif enrichment analysis, we propose a classification system for land plants' CGEs, which include two independent groups with specific primary structure traits. Furthermore, using in vivo assays we determined that the two CGEs from A. thaliana (AtCGEs) complement the mutant phenotype displayed by a knockout E. coli strain defective in the bacterial grpE gene. Moreover, we determined in planta that the two AtCGEs are bona fide chloroplastic proteins, which form the essential homodimers needed to establish direct physical interactions with the cpHsc70-1 chaperone. Finally, we found evidence suggesting that AtCGE1 is involved in specific physiological phenomena in A. thaliana, such as the chloroplastic response to heat stress, and the correct oligomerization of the photosynthesis-related LHCII complex.

Redox regulation of GRPEL2 nucleotide exchange factor for mitochondrial HSP70 chaperone

Mitochondria are central organelles to cellular metabolism. Their function relies largely on nuclear-encoded proteins that must be imported from the cytosol, and thus the protein import pathways are important for the maintenance of mitochondrial proteostasis. Mitochondrial HSP70 (mtHsp70) is a key component in facilitating the translocation of proteins through the inner membrane into the mitochondrial matrix. Its protein folding cycle is regulated by the nucleotide-exchange factor GrpE, which triggers the release of folded proteins by ATP rebinding. Vertebrates have two mitochondrial GrpE paralogs, GRPEL1 and 2, but without clearly defined roles. Using BioID proximity labeling to identify potential binding partners of the GRPELs in the mitochondrial matrix, we obtained results supporting a model where both GRPELs regulate mtHsp70 as homodimers. We show that GRPEL2 is not essential in human cultured cells, and its absence does not prevent mitochondrial protein import. Instead we find that GRPEL2 is redox regulated in oxidative stress. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, GRPEL2 forms dimers through intermolecular disulfide bonds in which Cys87 is the thiol switch. We propose that the dimerization of GRPEL2 may activate the folding machinery responsible for protein import into mitochondrial matrix or enhance the chaperone activity of mtHSP70, thus protecting mitochondrial proteostasis in oxidative stress.

On the brotherhood of the mitochondrial chaperones mortalin and heat shock protein 60

The heat shock chaperones mortalin/mitochondrial heat shock protein 70 (mtHsp70) and Hsp60 are found in multiple subcellular sites and function in the folding and intracellular trafficking of many proteins. The chaperoning activity of these 2 proteins involves different structural and functional mechanisms. In spite of providing an excellent model for an evolutionarily conserved molecular "brotherhood", their individual functions, although overlapping, are nonredundant. As they travel to various locations, both chaperones acquire different binding partners and exert a more divergent involvement in tumorigenesis, cellular senescence, and immunology. An understanding of their functional biology may lead to novel designing and development of therapeutic strategies for cancer and aging.

Deletion of DnaK's lid strengthens binding to the nucleotide exchange factor, GrpE: a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis

In this study, we have used surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal microtitration calorimetry (ITC) to study the mechanism of complex formation between the Hsp70 molecular chaperone, DnaK, and its cochaperone, GrpE, which is a nucleotide exchange factor. Experiments were geared toward understanding the influence of DnaK's three domains, the ATPase (residues 1-388), substrate-binding (residues 393-507), and lid (residues 508-638) domains, on complex formation with GrpE. We show that the equilibrium dissociation constants for the interaction of GrpE with wtDnaK, lidless DnaK(2-517), the ATPase domain (2-388), and the substrate-binding fragment (393-507) are 64 (+/-16) nM, 4.0 (+/-1.5) nM, 35 (+/-10) nM, and 67 (+/-11) microM, respectively, and that the on-rate constant for the different reactions varies by over 4 orders of magnitude. SPR experiments revealed that GrpE-DnaK(393-507) complex formation is inhibited by added peptide and abolished when the 33-residue flexible "tail" of GrpE is deleted. Such results strongly suggest that the 33-residue flexible N-terminal tail of GrpE binds in the substrate-binding pocket of DnaK. This unique mode of binding between GrpE's tail and DnaK contributes to, but does not fully explain, the decrease in K(d) from 64 to 4 nM upon deletion of DnaK's lid. The possibility that deletion of DnaK's lid creates a more symmetrically shaped molecule, with enhanced affinity to GrpE, is also discussed. Our results reveal a complex set of molecular interactions between DnaK and its cochaperone GrpE. We discuss the impact of each domain on complex formation and dissociation.

Induction of heat shock protein 40 and GrpE mRNAs following transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

Cerebral ischemia is associated with the induction of several heat shock proteins (HSPs), but the effects on HSP40 and GrpE are less clear. The present study investigated the induction of Hsp40 and GrpE mRNAs following 30 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat model. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization analyses showed significant induction of both mRNAs in the ischemic cortex. These results demonstrate the synergic induction of HSP70 molecular chaperone machinery in cerebral ischemia.

GrpE, a nucleotide exchange factor for DnaK

The cochaperone GrpE functions as a nucleotide exchange factor to promote dissociation of adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) from the nucleotide-binding cleft of DnaK. GrpE and the DnaJ cochaperone act in concert to control the flux of unfolded polypeptides into and out of the substrate-binding domain of DnaK by regulating the nucleotide-bound state of DnaK. DnaJ stimulates nucleotide hydrolysis, and GrpE promotes the exchange of ADP for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and also augments peptide release from the DnaK substrate-binding domain in an ATP-independent manner. The eukaryotic cytosol does not contain GrpE per se because GrpE-like function is provided by the BAG1 protein, which acts as a nucleotide exchange factor for cytosolic Hsp70s. GrpE, which plays a prominent role in mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacterial cytoplasms, is a fascinating molecule with an unusual quaternary structure. The long alpha-helices of GrpE have been hypothesized to act as a thermosensor and to be involved in the decrease in GrpE-dependent nucleotide exchange that is observed in vitro at temperatures relevant to heat shock. This review describes the molecular biology of GrpE and focuses on the structural and kinetic aspects of nucleotide exchange, peptide release, and the thermosensor hypothesis.

A mitochondrial specific stress response in mammalian cells

Cells respond to a wide variety of stresses through the transcriptional activation of genes that harbour stress elements within their promoters. While many of these elements are shared by genes encoding proteins representative of all subcellular compartments, cells can also respond to stresses that are specific to individual organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum un folded protein response. Here we report on the discovery and characterization of a mitochondrial stress response in mammalian cells. We find that the accumulation of unfolded protein within the mitochondrial matrix results in the transcriptional upregulation of nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial stress proteins such as chaperonin 60, chaperonin 10, mtDnaJ and ClpP, but not those encoding stress proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum. Analysis of the chaperonin 60/10 bidirectional promoter identified a CHOP element as the mitochondrial stress response element. Dominant-negative mutant forms of CHOP and overexpression of CHOP revealed that this transcription factor, in association with C/EBPbeta, regulates expression of mitochondrial stress genes in response to the accumulation of unfolded proteins.

Identification and characterization of a human mitochondrial homologue of the bacterial co-chaperone GrpE

We have identified a novel human cDNA with a predicted protein sequence that has 28% amino acid identity with the E. coli Hsp70 co-chaperone GrpE and designated it HMGE. Even with this low level of amino acid identity the human sequence could be efficiently modelled on the X-ray structure of the E. coli protein, suggesting that there may be significant functional conservation. Indeed, HMGE expressed in E. coli as a GST fusion protein co-purified with the E. coli Hsp70 protein DnaK in the absence of ATP. DnaK could be released from the GST-HMGE with a Mg-ATP wash. Subcellular fractionation and immunocytochemistry studies using antisera raized against HMGE show that it is a mitochondrial protein. In contrast to studies of rat GrpE, however, HMGE also appears to bind the constitutive cytosolic Hsp70, Hsc70, in addition to mitochondrial Hsp70, Mt-Hsp70. We have previously shown that Hsc70 nucleotide-exchange is rate limiting in the presence of the DnaJ-protein, HSJ1b. However, HMGE was found to inhibit the HSJ1b-enhanced Hsc70 ATPase activity and may mediate this inhibition by binding the DnaJ-protein, HSJ1b. This is the first description of a direct interaction between a DnaJ protein and GrpE-like protein. These studies suggest that the structure of GrpE has been conserved throughout evolution and that the conserved structure can interact with several forms of Hsp70, but that HMGE cannot form part of the reaction cycle for cytosolic Hsc70.

Induction of mitochondrial heat shock protein 60 and 10 mRNAs following transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) 60 and 10 are stress-inducible mitochondrial matrix proteins that form a chaperonin complex that is important for mitochondrial protein folding and function. The effect of cerebral ischemia on mitochondrial HSPs is unclear. The topographical and chronological patterns of HSP60 and HSP10 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression and induction were investigated in the rat focal cerebral ischemia model. Focal cerebral ischemia was produced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion for 30 or 90 min. Expression of mRNAs was analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization. RT-PCR analysis showed that both HSP60 and HSP10 mRNA levels increased significantly in the ischemic cortex from 4 to 24 h of reperfusion after 30 min of occlusion. In situ hybridization analysis demonstrated significant induction of both mRNAs in the whole ischemic cortex after 30 min of occlusion and in the dorsomedial border (penumbra) of the ischemic cortex and ipsilateral hippocampus after 90 min of occlusion. Expression patterns and the timing of the induction of both HSP60 and HSP10 mRNAs were identical throughout the experiments. Simultaneous induction of the mRNAs for the mitochondrial chaperonins, HSP60 and HSP10, in various regions in focal cerebral ischemia demonstrates that mitochondrial stress conditions persist concomitantly with cytosolic stress conditions in focal cerebral ischemia.

Stress genes and proteins in the archaea

The field covered in this review is new; the first sequence of a gene encoding the molecular chaperone Hsp70 and the first description of a chaperonin in the archaea were reported in 1991. These findings boosted research in other areas beyond the archaea that were directly relevant to bacteria and eukaryotes, for example, stress gene regulation, the structure-function relationship of the chaperonin complex, protein-based molecular phylogeny of organisms and eukaryotic-cell organelles, molecular biology and biochemistry of life in extreme environments, and stress tolerance at the cellular and molecular levels. In the last 8 years, archaeal stress genes and proteins belonging to the families Hsp70, Hsp60 (chaperonins), Hsp40(DnaJ), and small heat-shock proteins (sHsp) have been studied. The hsp70(dnaK), hsp40(dnaJ), and grpE genes (the chaperone machine) have been sequenced in seven, four, and two species, respectively, but their expression has been examined in detail only in the mesophilic methanogen Methanosarcina mazei S-6. The proteins possess markers typical of bacterial homologs but none of the signatures distinctive of eukaryotes. In contrast, gene expression and transcription initiation signals and factors are of the eucaryal type, which suggests a hybrid archaeal-bacterial complexion for the Hsp70 system. Another remarkable feature is that several archaeal species in different phylogenetic branches do not have the gene hsp70(dnaK), an evolutionary puzzle that raises the important question of what replaces the product of this gene, Hsp70(DnaK), in protein biogenesis and refolding and for stress resistance. Although archaea are prokaryotes like bacteria, their Hsp60 (chaperonin) family is of type (group) II, similar to that of the eukaryotic cytosol; however, unlike the latter, which has several different members, the archaeal chaperonin system usually includes only two (in some species one and in others possibly three) related subunits of approximately 60 kDa. These form, in various combinations depending on the species, a large structure or chaperonin complex sometimes called the thermosome. This multimolecular assembly is similar to the bacterial chaperonin complex GroEL/S, but it is made of only the large, double-ring oligomers each with eight (or nine) subunits instead of seven as in the bacterial complex. Like Hsp70(DnaK), the archaeal chaperonin subunits are remarkable for their evolution, but for a different reason. Ubiquitous among archaea, the chaperonins show a pattern of recurrent gene duplication-hetero-oligomeric chaperonin complexes appear to have evolved several times independently. The stress response and stress tolerance in the archaea involve chaperones, chaperonins, other heat shock (stress) proteins including sHsp, thermoprotectants, the proteasome, as yet incompletely understood thermoresistant features of many molecules, and formation of multicellular structures. The latter structures include single- and mixed-species (bacterial-archaeal) types. Many questions remain unanswered, and the field offers extraordinary opportunities owing to the diversity, genetic makeup, and phylogenetic position of archaea and the variety of ecosystems they inhabit. Specific aspects that deserve investigation are elucidation of the mechanism of action of the chaperonin complex at different temperatures, identification of the partners and substitutes for the Hsp70 chaperone machine, analysis of protein folding and refolding in hyperthermophiles, and determination of the molecular mechanisms involved in stress gene regulation in archaeal species that thrive under widely different conditions (temperature, pH, osmolarity, and barometric pressure). These studies are now possible with uni- and multicellular archaeal models and are relevant to various areas of basic and applied research, including exploration and conquest of ecosystems inhospitable to humans and many mammals and plants.

The archaeal molecular chaperone machine: peculiarities and paradoxes

A major finding within the field of archaea and molecular chaperones has been the demonstration that, while some species have the stress (heat-shock) gene hsp70(dnaK), others do not. This gene encodes Hsp70(DnaK), an essential molecular chaperone in bacteria and eukaryotes. Due to the physiological importance and the high degree of conservation of this protein, its absence in archaeal organisms has raised intriguing questions pertaining to the evolution of the chaperone machine as a whole and that of its components in particular, namely, Hsp70(DnaK), Hsp40(DnaJ), and GrpE. Another archaeal paradox is that the proteins coded by these genes are very similar to bacterial homologs, as if the genes had been received via lateral transfer from bacteria, whereas the upstream flanking regions have no bacterial markers, but instead have typical archaeal promoters, which are like those of eukaryotes. Furthermore, the chaperonin system in all archaea studied to the present, including those that possess a bacterial-like chaperone machine, is similar to that of the eukaryotic-cell cytosol. Thus, two chaperoning systems that are designed to interact with a compatible partner, e.g., the bacterial chaperone machine physiologically interacts with the bacterial but not with the eucaryal chaperonins, coexist in archaeal cells in spite of their apparent functional incompatibility. It is difficult to understand how these hybrid characteristics of the archaeal chaperoning system became established and work, if one bears in mind the classical ideas learned from studying bacteria and eukaryotes. No doubt, archaea are intriguing organisms that offer an opportunity to find novel molecules and mechanisms that will, most likely, enhance our understanding of the stress response and the protein folding and refolding processes in the three phylogenetic domains.

Association of prokaryotic and eukaryotic chaperone proteins with the human 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) receptor

Steroid hormone receptors (SHR) form complexes with heat shock proteins (hsps). The 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) receptor (VDR) has not been previously shown to interact with hsps. During expression and purification of VDR-glutathione S-transferase (VDR-GST) fusion proteins encompassing full-length, DNA, and ligand-binding domains of the VDR (FL-VDR, DBD-VDR, and LBD-VDR), we observed binding of bacterial hsps with VDR-GST constructs. All VDR constructs bound DnaK in amounts greater than GST alone and bound smaller amounts of DnaJ or GrpE. GroEL bound only to FL-VDR. GroES did not bind to VDR. When VDR-GST constructs were incubated with a reticulocyte lysate system that has been used previously to examine SHR-hsp interactions, eukaryotic hsc70 was detected bound to FL-VDR and DBD-VDR. Binding of hsp90 to VDR was not detected. However, geldanamycin, an hsp90 inhibitor, reduced 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)-mediated gene activation in osteoblasts. Our data show that the bacterial and eukaryotic hsps associate with the VDR and might be involved in VDR function.

Characterisation of several Hsp70 interacting proteins from mammalian organelles

Since both the spectrum and characteristics of in vivo substrates with affinity for Hsp70 members are largely unknown, we have investigated the range and type of mammalian organellar proteins which selectively interact with immobilised Escherichia coli Hsp70 (DnaK). Amongst a subset of organellar proteins selectively retained on DnaK, the major constituents represent unstable proteins and subunits of oligomeric proteins. The interactions with DnaK were diminished in the presence of mt-Hsp70 and BiP, while the complexes formed with DnaK were dissociated in the presence of K+ and GrpE-like co-chaperones, suggesting that these organellar proteins constitute general Hsp70 substrates. Protein sequence analysis identified the major DnaK interacting constituents as the mitochondrial transcription factor A, the alpha- (but not the beta-) subunit of succinyl CoA synthetase, mitochondrial 2,4-dienoyl CoA reductase, endoplasmic reticulum cyclophilin-B, peroxisomal multifunctional enzyme and a previously undescribed peroxisomal protein suspected to represent an isoform of 2,4-dienoyl CoA reductase. The selective retention of these fully synthesised proteins on Hsp70 most likely reflects the function of this molecular chaperone in protein biogenesis, but additionally, could extend the known functions of Hsp70 to include modulating the activities of certain proteins or enzymes which are important in cellular homeostasis.

The preprotein translocase of the mitochondrial inner membrane: function and evolution

Growing mitochondria acquire most of their proteins by the uptake of mitochondrial preproteins from the cytosol. To mediate this protein import, both mitochondrial membranes contain independent protein transport systems: the Tom machinery in the outer membrane and the Tim machinery in the inner membrane. Transport of proteins across the inner membrane and sorting to the different inner mitochondrial compartments is mediated by several protein complexes which have been identified in the past years. A complex containing the integral membrane proteins Tim17 and Tim23 constitutes the import channel for preproteins containing amino-terminal hydrophilic presequences. This complex is associated with Tim44 which serves as an adaptor protein for the binding of mtHsp70 to the membrane. mtHsp70, a 70 kDa heat shock protein of the mitochondrial matrix, drives the ATP-dependent import reaction of the processed preprotein after cleavage of the presequence. Preproteins containing internal targeting information are imported by a separate import machinery, which consists of the intermembrane-space proteins Tim9, Tim10, and Tim12, and the inner membrane proteins Tim22 and Tim54. The proteins Tim17, Tim22, and Tim23 have in common a similar topology in the membrane and a homologous amino acid sequence. Moreover, they show a sequence similarity to OEP16, a channel-forming amino acid transporter in the outer envelope of chloroplasts, and to LivH, a component of a prokaryotic amino acid permease, defining a new PRAT-family of preprotein and amino acid transporters.

Characterization of interactions between the anti-apoptotic protein BAG-1 and Hsc70 molecular chaperones

The anti-cell death protein BAG-1 binds to 70-kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70/Hsc70) and modulates their chaperone activity. Among other facilitory roles, BAG-1 may serve as a nucleotide exchange factor for Hsp70/Hsc70 family proteins and thus represents the first example of a eukaryotic homologue of the bacterial co-chaperone GrpE. In this study, the interactions between BAG-1 and Hsc70 are characterized and compared with the analogous GrpE-DnaK bacterial system. In contrast to GrpE, which binds DnaK as a dimer, BAG-1 binds to Hsc70 as a monomer with a 1:1 stoichiometry. Dynamic light scattering, sedimentation equilibrium, and circular dichroism measurements provided evidence that BAG-1 exists as an elongated, highly helical monomer in solution. Isothermal titration microcalorimetry was used to determine the complex stoichiometry and an equilibrium dissociation constant, KD, of 100 nM. Kinetic analysis using surface plasmon resonance yielded a KD consistent with the calorimetrically determined value. Molecular modeling permitted a comparison of structural features between the functionally homologous BAG-1 and GrpE proteins. These data were used to propose a mechanism for BAG-1 in the regulation of Hsp70/Hsc70 chaperone activity.

Evidence for the existence of distinct mammalian cytosolic, microsomal, and two mitochondrial GrpE-like proteins, the Co-chaperones of specific Hsp70 members

We previously reported the cDNA cloning and characterization of a mammalian mitochondrial GrpE protein ( approximately 21 kDa, mt-GrpE#1) and now provide evidence for the presence of distinct cytosolic ( approximately 40 kDa), microsomal ( approximately 50 kDa), and additional mitochondrial ( approximately 22 kDa, mt-GrpE#2) GrpE-like members. While a cytosolic GrpE-like protein has recently been identified, the demonstration of both a microsomal and a second mitochondrial GrpE-like member represents the first in any biological system. Investigation of the microsomal and two mitochondrial GrpE-like proteins revealed that they bound specifically to Escherichia coli DnaK, and the complexes formed were not disrupted in the presence of 0.5 M salt but were readily dissociated in the presence of 5 mM ATP. The functional integrity of mt-GrpE#1 and #2 was verified by their ability to specifically interact with and stimulate the ATPase activity of mammalian mitochondrial Hsp70 (mt-Hsp70). Analysis of the cDNA sequences encoding the two mammalian mitochondrial GrpE-like proteins revealed approximately 47% positional identity at the amino acid level, the presence of a highly conserved mitochondrial leader sequence, and putative destabilization elements within the 3'-untranslated region of the mt-GrpE#2 transcript which are not present in the mt-GrpE#1 transcript. A constitutive expression of both mitochondrial GrpE-like transcripts in 22 distinct mouse tissues was observed but possible different post-transcriptional regulation of the mt-GrpE#1 and #2 transcripts may confer a different expression pattern of the encoded proteins.

GrpE-like regulation of the hsc70 chaperone by the anti-apoptotic protein BAG-1

The BAG-1 protein appears to inhibit cell death by binding to Bcl-2, the Raf-1 protein kinase, and certain growth factor receptors, but the mechanism of inhibition remains enigmatic. BAG-1 also interacts with several steroid hormone receptors which require the molecular chaperones Hsc70 and Hsp90 for activation. Here we show that BAG-1 is a regulator of the Hsc70 chaperone. BAG-1 binds to the ATPase domain of Hsc70 and, in cooperation with Hsp40, stimulates Hsc70's steady-state ATP hydrolysis activity approximately 40-fold. Similar to the action of the GrpE protein on bacterial Hsp70, BAG-1 accelerates the release of ADP from Hsc70. Thus, BAG-1 regulates the Hsc70 ATPase in a manner contrary to the Hsc70-interacting protein Hip, which stabilizes the ADP-bound state. Intriguingly, BAG-1 and Hip compete in binding to the ATPase domain of Hsc70. Our results reveal an unexpected diversity in the regulation of Hsc70 and raise the possibility that the observed anti-apoptotic function of BAG-1 may be exerted through a modulation of the chaperone activity of Hsc70 on specific protein folding and maturation pathways.

Crystal structure of the nucleotide exchange factor GrpE bound to the ATPase domain of the molecular chaperone DnaK

The crystal structure of the adenine nucleotide exchange factor GrpE in complex with the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) domain of Escherichia coli DnaK [heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)] was determined at 2.8 angstrom resolution. A dimer of GrpE binds asymmetrically to a single molecule of DnaK. The structure of the nucleotide-free ATPase domain in complex with GrpE resembles closely that of the nucleotide-bound mammalian Hsp70 homolog, except for an outward rotation of one of the subdomains of the protein. This conformational change is not consistent with tight nucleotide binding. Two long alpha helices extend away from the GrpE dimer and suggest a role for GrpE in peptide release from DnaK.

The role of molecular chaperones in mitochondrial protein import and folding

Molecular chaperones play a critical role in many cellular processes. This review concentrates on their role in targeting of proteins to the mitochondria and the subsequent folding of the imported protein. It also reviews the role of molecular chaperons in protein degradation, a process that not only regulates the turnover of proteins but also eliminates proteins that have folded incorrectly or have aggregated as a result of cell stress. Finally, the role of molecular chaperones, in particular to mitochondrial chaperonins, in disease is reviewed. In support of the endosymbiont theory on the origin of mitochondria, the chaperones of the mitochondrial compartment show a high degree of similarity to bacterial molecular chaperones. Thus, studies of protein folding in bacteria such as Escherichia coli have proved to be instructive in understanding the process in the eukaryotic cell. As in bacteria, the molecular chaperone genes of eukaryotes are activated by a variety of stresses. The regulation of stress genes involved in mitochondrial chaperone function is reviewed and major unsolved questions regarding the regulation, function, and involvement in disease of the molecular chaperones are identified.