C-terminal sequences of hsp70 and hsp90 as non-specific anchors for tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) proteins.

Steroid-hormone-receptor maturation is a multi-step process that involves several TPR (tetratricopeptide repeat) proteins that bind to the maturation complex via the C-termini of hsp70 (heat-shock protein 70) and hsp90 (heat-shock protein 90). We produced a random T7 peptide library to investigate the roles played by the C-termini of the two heat-shock proteins in the TPR-hsp interactions. Surprisingly, phages with the MEEVD sequence, found at the C-terminus of hsp90, were not recovered from our biopanning experiments. However, two groups of phages were isolated that bound relatively tightly to HsPP5 (Homo sapiens protein phosphatase 5) TPR. Multiple copies of phages with a C-terminal sequence of LFG were isolated. These phages bound specifically to the TPR domain of HsPP5, although mutation studies produced no evidence that they bound to the domain's hsp90-binding groove. However, the most abundant family obtained in the initial screen had an aspartate residue at the C-terminus. Two members of this family with a C-terminal sequence of VD appeared to bind with approximately the same affinity as the hsp90 C-12 control. A second generation pseudo-random phage library produced a large number of phages with an LD C-terminus. These sequences acted as hsp70 analogues and had relatively low affinities for hsp90-specific TPR domains. Unfortunately, we failed to identify residues near hsp90's C-terminus that impart binding specificity to individual hsp90-TPR interactions. The results suggest that the C-terminal sequences of hsp70 and hsp90 act primarily as non-specific anchors for TPR proteins.

Protein phosphatase 5 is a negative modulator of heat shock factor 1.

The major stress protein transcription factor, heat shock factor (HSF1), is tightly regulated through a multilayered activation-deactivation process involving oligomerization, post-translational modification, and interaction with the heat shock protein (Hsp90)-containing multichaperone complex. Conditions of proteotoxic stress, such as heat shock, trigger reversible assembly of latent HSF1 monomers into DNA-binding homotrimers that bind with high affinity to cognate heat shock elements. Transactivation is a second and independently regulated function of HSF1 that is accompanied by hyperphosphorylation and appears to involve a number of signaling events. Association of HSF1 with Hsp90 chaperone complexes provides additional regulatory complexity, however, not all the co-chaperones have been identified, and the specific molecular interactions throughout the activation/deactivation pathway remain to be determined. Here we demonstrate that protein phosphatase 5 (PP5), a tetratricopeptide domain-containing component of Hsp90-steroid receptor complexes, functions as a negative modulator of HSF1 activity. Physical interactions between PP5 and HSF1-Hsp90 complexes were observed in co-immunoprecipitation and gel mobility supershift experiments. Overexpression of PP5 or activation of endogenous phosphatase activity resulted in diminished HSF1 DNA binding and transcriptional activities, and accelerated recovery. Conversely, microinjection of PP5 antibodies, or inhibition of its phosphatase activity in vivo, significantly delayed trimer disassembly after heat shock. Inhibition of PP5 activity did not activate HSF1 in unstressed cells. These results indicate that PP5 is a negative modulator of HSF1 activity.

Functional comparison of human and Drosophila Hop reveals novel role in steroid receptor maturation.

Hsp70/Hsp90 organizing protein (Hop) coordinates Hsp70 and Hsp90 interactions during assembly of steroid receptor complexes. Hop is composed of three tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains (TPR1, TPR2a, and TPR2b) and two DP repeat domains (DP1 and DP2); Hsp70 interacts directly with TPR1 and Hsp90 with TPR2a, but the function of other domains is less clear. Human Hop and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ortholog Sti1p, which share a common domain arrangement, are functionally interchangeable in a yeast growth assay and in supporting the efficient maturation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function. To gain a better understanding of Hop structure/function relationships, we have extended comparisons to the Hop ortholog from Drosophila melanogaster (dHop), which lacks DP1. Although dHop binds Hsp70 and Hsp90 and can rescue the growth defect in yeast lacking Sti1p, dHop failed to support GR function in yeast, which suggests a novel role for Hop in GR maturation that goes beyond Hsp binding. Chimeric Hop constructs combining human and Drosophila domains demonstrate that the C-terminal domain DP2 is critical for this previously unrecognized role in steroid receptor function.

Independent functions of hsp90 in neurotransmitter release and in the continuous synaptic cycling of AMPA receptors.

The delivery of neurotransmitter receptors into synapses is essential for synaptic function and plasticity. In particular, AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPA receptors) reach excitatory synapses according to two distinct routes: a regulated pathway, which operates transiently during synaptic plasticity, and a constitutive pathway, which maintains synaptic function under conditions of basal transmission. However, the specific mechanisms that distinguish these two trafficking pathways are essentially unknown. Here, we evaluate the role of the molecular chaperone hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) in excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. On one hand, we found that hsp90 is necessary for the efficient neurotransmitter release at the presynaptic terminal. In addition, we identified hsp90 as a critical component of the cellular machinery that delivers AMPA receptors into the postsynaptic membrane. Using the hsp90-specific inhibitors radicicol and geldanamycin, we show that hsp90 is required for the constitutive trafficking of AMPA receptors into synapses during their continuous cycling between synaptic and nonsynaptic sites. In contrast, hsp90 function is not required for either the surface delivery of AMPA receptors into the nonsynaptic plasma membrane or for the acute, regulated delivery of AMPA receptors into synapses during plasticity induction (long-term potentiation). The synaptic cycling of AMPA receptors was also blocked by an hsp90-binding tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain, suggesting that the role of hsp90 in AMPA receptor trafficking is mediated by a TPR domain-containing protein. These results demonstrate new roles for hsp90 in synaptic function by controlling neurotransmitter release and, independently, by mediating the continuous cycling of synaptic AMPA receptors.

Binding of hsp90-associated immunophilins to cytoplasmic dynein: direct binding and in vivo evidence that the peptidylprolyl isomerase domain is a dynein interaction domain.

FKBP52 is a steroid receptor-associated immunophilin that binds via a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain to hsp90. FKBP52 has also been shown to interact either directly or indirectly via its peptidylprolyl isomerase (PPIase) domain with cytoplasmic dynein, a motor protein involved in retrograde transport of vesicles toward the nucleus. The functional role for the PPIase domain in receptor movement was demonstrated by showing that expression of the PPIase domain fragment of FKBP52 in 3T3 cells inhibits dexamethasone-dependent nuclear translocation of a green fluorescent protein-glucocorticoid receptor chimera. Here, we show that cytoplasmic dynein is co-immunoadsorbed with two other TPR domain proteins that bind hsp90 (the cyclophilin CyP-40 and the protein phosphatase PP5). Both proteins possess PPIase homology domains, and co-immunoadsorption of cytoplasmic dynein with each is blocked by the PPIase domain fragment of FKBP52. Using purified proteins, we show that FKBP52, PP5, and the PPIase domain fragment bind directly to the intermediate chain of cytoplasmic dynein. PP5 colocalizes with both cytoplasmic dynein and microtubules, and expression of the PPIase domain fragment of FKBP52 in 3T3 cells disrupts its cytoskeletal localization. We conclude that the PPIase domains of the hsp90-binding immunophilins interact directly with cytoplasmic dynein and that this interaction with the motor protein is responsible for the microtubular localization of PP5 in vivo.

Identification of potential physiological activators of protein phosphatase 5.

The protein serine/threonine phosphatase designated PP5 has little basal activity, and physiological activators of the enzyme have never been identified. Purified PP5 can, however, be activated by partial proteolysis or by the binding of supraphysiological concentrations of polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids to its tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain. To test whether activation of PP5 by polyunsaturated but not saturated fatty acids was an artifact of the lower solubility of saturated fatty acids, the effects of fatty acyl-CoA esters were examined. Saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acids are both freely water-soluble when esterified to CoA. Long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters activated PP5 at physiological concentrations, with the saturated compounds being more effective. We investigated the effects of chain length and of the CoA moiety on PP5 activation. Chains of 16 carbons or more were required for optimal activation, with no activation observed below 10 carbons. On the basis of competition studies using acetyl-CoA, the function of the CoA moiety appeared to be to increase solubility of the fatty acyl moiety rather than to interact with a specific binding site. These data suggested that long-chain fatty acid-CoA esters might be physiological activators of PP5 and point to a potential link between fatty acid metabolism and signal transduction via this enzyme. Because heat shock protein 90 is also known to bind to the TPR domain of PP5 via its C-terminal domain (C90), we investigated its effect on PP5 activity. C90 activated the enzyme approximately 10-fold. Thus, we have identified two potential physiological activators of PP5.