Mechanisms of assembly and function of the Hsp70-Hsp40 chaperone machinery
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ABSTRACT: The orchestration of protein folding and maintenance by molecular chaperones is crucial for cellular homeostasis. Among them, Hsp70 and its co-chaperone Hsp40 form a central machinery that remodels client proteins involved in numerous biological processes. Despite their essential role, how Hsp70 and Hsp40 assemble into a functional complex has remained elusive. Here, we integrated cryo-electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the architecture of the full-length Hsp70-Hsp40 machinery. The structure of the complex in a physiological inactive state reveals distinct inhibitory mechanisms. In the active state, a new set of interactions is formed wherein the Hsp40 G/F-rich region acts as a pseudo-substrate and binds to the Hsp70, thereby directly modulating the refolding process. The G/F region maintains an Hsp40 autoinhibited state; upon binding to Hsp70, this state is disrupted, exposing a cryptic client-binding site and enabling interaction with protein clients to facilitate their refolding. The transition between these states is central to regulating the machinery’s refolding efficiency. Disrupting the Hsp40 autoinhibited state or the G/F–Hsp70 interaction leads to functional impairments that trigger a pronounced heat shock response in cells as a compensatory mechanism. Our findings provide crucial insights into the regulatory dynamics of this essential chaperone machinery, with broad implications for understanding protein homeostasis and the cellular response to stress.
ORGANISM(S): Escherichia coli str. K-12 substr. MG1655
PROVIDER: GSE305556 | GEO | 2025/10/15
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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