Small but crucial : the novel small heat shock protein Hsp21 mediates stress adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The yeast P5 type ATPase, Spf1, regulates manganese transport into the endoplasmic reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a large, multifunctional and essential organelle. Despite intense research, the function of more than a third of ER proteins remains unknown even in the well-studied model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One such protein is Spf1, which is a highly conserved, ER localized, putative P-type ATPase. Deletion of SPF1 causes a wide variety of phenotypes including severe ER stress suggesting that this protein is essential for the normal function of the ER. The closest homologue of Spf1 is the vacuolar P-type ATPase Ypk9 that influences Mn2+ homeostasis. However in vitro reconstitution assays with Spf1 have not yielded insight into its transport specificity. Here we took an in vivo approach to detect the direct and indirect effects of deleting SPF1. We found a specific reduction in the luminal concentration of Mn2+ in ∆spf1 cells and an increase following it’s overexpression. In agreement with the observed loss of luminal Mn2+ we could observe concurrent reduction in many Mn2+-related process in the ER lumen. Conversely, cytosolic Mn2+-dependent processes were increased. Together, these data support a role for Spf1p in Mn2+ transport in the cell. We also demonstrate that the human sequence homologue, ATP13A1, is a functionally conserved orthologue. Since ATP13A1 is highly expressed in developing neuronal tissues and in the brain, this should help in the study of Mn2+-dependent neurological disorders

A global view of the proteome perturbations by Hsp90 inhibitors

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a highly efficient molecular chaperone and a major hub in the protein network that maintains cellular homeostasis and function. The qualitative and quantitative changes and rewiring of this protein network in tumor cells make them vastly dependent on Hsp90, which therefore becomes a key target to fight cancer. The inhibition of Hsp90 creates a profound transformation in the cell proteome. In this chapter, we review and analyze the most recent efforts that take advantage of the druggability of Hsp90 in order to understand the global changes at the proteome level that this inhibition produces. The considerable impact that the targeting of Hsp90 has on the structure of these protein networks is also discussed