A Mutation in the Catalytic Loop of Hsp90 Specifically Impairs ATPase Stimulation by Aha1p, But Not Hch1p

• Aha1p and Hch1p interact with a loop in Hsp90 and stimulate ATPase activity.
• Hch1p, but not Aha1p, regulates cellular sensitivity to Hsp90 inhibitor drugs.
• Mutations in Hch1p that disrupt stimulation of Hsp90 do not block in vivo activity.
• A mutation in the catalytic loop of Hsp90 impairs Aha1p but not Hch1p action.
• Hch1p and Aha1p regulate Hsp90 by different mechanisms.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that plays a central role in maintaining cellular homeostasis by facilitating activation of a large number of client proteins. ATP-dependent client activation by Hsp90 is tightly regulated by a host of co-chaperone proteins that control progression through the activation cycle. ATPase stimulation of Hsp90 by Aha1p requires a conserved RKxK motif that interacts with the catalytic loop of Hsp90. In this study, we explore the role of this RKxK motif in the biological and biochemical properties of Hch1p. We found that this motif is required for Hch1p-mediated ATPase stimulation in vitro, but mutations that block stimulation do not impair the action of Hch1p in vivo. This suggests that the biological function of Hch1p is not directly linked to ATPase stimulation. Moreover, a mutation in the catalytic loop of Hsp90 specifically impairs ATPase stimulation by Aha1p but not by Hch1p. Our work here suggests that both Hch1p and Aha1p regulate Hsp90 function through interaction with the catalytic loop but do so in different ways.

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