The [PSI+] prion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be propagated by an Hsp104 orthologue from Candida albicans.
The molecular chaperone Hsp104 is not only a key component of the cellular machinery induced to disassemble aggregated proteins in stressed cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae but also plays an essential role in the propagation of the [PSI+], [URE3], and [RNQ/PIN+] prions in this organism. Here we demonstrate that the fungal pathogen Candida albicans carries an 899-residue stress-inducible orthologue of Hsp104 (CaHsp104) that shows a high degree of amino acid identity to S. cerevisiae Hsp104 (ScHsp104). This identity is significantly lower in the N- and C-terminal regions implicated in substrate recognition and cofactor binding, respectively. CaHsp104 is able to provide all known functions of ScHsp104 in an S. cerevisiae hsp104 null mutant, i.e., tolerance to high-temperature stress, reactivation of heat-denatured proteins, and propagation of the [PSI+] prion. As also observed for ScHsp104, overexpression of CaHsp104 leads to a loss of the [PSI+] prion. However, unlike that of ScHsp104, CaHsp104 function is resistant to guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl), an inhibitor of the ATPase activity of this chaperone. These findings have implications both in terms of the mechanism of inhibition of Hsp104 by GdnHCl and in the evolution of the ability of fungal species to propagate prions.
Zenthon
Joanna F
JF
Protein Science Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, United Kingdom.
Ness
Frederique
F
Cox
Brian
B
Tuite
Mick F
MF
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D019791:Guanidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011328:Prions / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013347:Subcellular Fractions
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011328:Prions; C068068:SUP35 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C070972:HsP104 protein, S cerevisiae; D019791:Guanidine