Thermally-induced structural changes in an armadillo repeat protein suggest a novel thermosensor mechanism in a molecular chaperone

Paul J. Bujalowski, Paul Nicholls, José M. Barral, Andres F. Oberhauser

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Molecular chaperones are commonly identified by their ability to suppress heat-induced protein aggregation. The muscle-specific molecular chaperone UNC-45B is known to be involved in myosin folding and is trafficked to the sarcomeres A-band during thermal stress. Here, we identify temperature-dependent structural changes in the UCS chaperone domain of UNC-45B that occur within a physiologically relevant heat-shock range. We show that distinct changes to the armadillo repeat protein topology result in exposure of hydrophobic patches, and increased flexibility of the molecule. These rearrangements suggest the existence of a novel thermosensor within the chaperone domain of UNC-45B. We propose that these changes may function to suppress aggregation under stress by allowing binding to a wide variety of aggregation prone loops on its client.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)123-130
Number of pages8
JournalFEBS Letters
Volume589
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2 2015

Keywords

  • ANS fluorescence
  • Circular-dichroism
  • Molecular chaperone
  • Structural transition
  • Thermal stress
  • UNC-45

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

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