NMR structure of Hsp12, a protein induced by and required for dietary restriction-induced lifespan extension in yeast.

Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in yeast, worms, flies and mammals, suggesting that it may act via conserved processes. However, the downstream mechanisms by which DR increases lifespan remain unclear. We used a gel based proteomic strategy to identify proteins whose expression was induced by DR in yeast and thus may correlate with longevity. One protein up-regulated by DR was Hsp12, a small heat shock protein induced by various manipulations known to retard ageing. Lifespan extension by growth on 0.5% glucose (DR) was abolished in an hsp12Δ strain, indicating that Hsp12 is essential for the longevity effect of DR. In contrast, deletion of HSP12 had no effect on growth under DR conditions or a variety of environmental stresses, indicating that the effect of Hsp12 on lifespan is not due to increased general stress resistance. Unlike other small heat shock proteins, recombinant Hsp12 displayed negligible in vitro molecular chaperone activity, suggesting that its cellular function does not involve preventing protein aggregation. NMR analysis indicated that Hsp12 is monomeric and intrinsically unfolded in solution, but switches to a 4-helical conformation upon binding to membrane-mimetic SDS micelles. The structure of micelle-bound Hsp12 reported here is consistent with its recently proposed function as a membrane-stabilising 'lipid chaperone'. Taken together, our data suggest that DR-induced Hsp12 expression contributes to lifespan extension, possibly via membrane alterations.

Yeast Nhp6A/B and mammalian Hmgb1 facilitate the maintenance of genome stability.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nhp6A and Nhp6B are chromatin architectural factors that belong to the high-mobility group box (HMGB) superfamily and appear to be functionally related to mammalian Hmgb1. They bind to the minor groove of double-stranded DNA in a non-sequence-specific manner and thereby influence chromatin structure. Previous work has implicated these proteins in a variety of nuclear processes, including chromatin remodeling, DNA replication, transcription, and recombination . Here, we show that Nhp6A/B loss leads to increased genomic instability, hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, and shortened yeast cell life span that is associated with elevated levels of extrachromosomal rDNA circles. Furthermore, we show that hypersensitivity toward UV light does not appear to reflect a decreased capacity for DNA repair but instead correlates with higher levels of UV-induced thymine dimer adducts being formed in cells lacking Nhp6A/B. Likewise, we show that mouse fibroblasts lacking Hmgb1 display higher rates of damage after UV irradiation than wild-type controls and also exhibit pronounced chromosomal instability. Taken together, these data indicate that Nhp6A/B and Hmgb1 protect DNA from damaging agents and thus guard against the generation of genomic aberrations.

Suppression of homologous recombination by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae linker histone.

The basic unit of chromatin in eukaryotes is the nucleosome, comprising 146 bp of DNA wound around two copies of each of four core histones. Chromatin is further condensed by association with linker histones. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hho1p has sequence homology to other known linker histones and interacts with nucleosomes in vitro. However, disruption of HHO1 results in no significant changes in the phenotypes examined thus far. Here, we show that Hho1p is inhibitory to DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR). We find Hho1p is abundant and associated with the genome, consistent with a global role in DNA repair. Furthermore, we establish that Hho1p is required for a full life span and propose that this is mechanistically linked to its role in HR. Finally, we show that Hho1p is inhibitory to the recombination-dependent mechanism of telomere maintenance. The role of linker histones in genome stability, aging, and tumorigenesis is discussed.