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The sorting nexins (SNXs), constitute a diverse family of molecules that play varied roles in membrane trafficking, cell signaling, membrane remodeling, organelle motility and autophagy. In particular, the SNX‐Bin‐Amphiphysin‐Rvs (BAR) proteins, a SNX subfamily characterized by a C‐terminal dimeric BAR lipid curvature domain and a conserved Phox‐homology domain, are of great interest. In budding yeast, many SNX‐BAR proteins have well‐characterized endo‐vacuolar trafficking roles. Phylogenetic analyses allowed us to identify an additional SNX‐BAR protein, Vps501, with a novel endo‐vacuolar role. We report that Vps501 uniquely localizes to the vacuolar membrane and has physical and genetic interactions with the SEA complex to regulate TORC1 inactivation. We found cells displayed a severe deficiency in starvation‐induced/nonselective autophagy only when SEA complex subunits are ablated in combination with Vps501, indicating a cooperative role with the SEA complex during TORC1 signaling during autophagy induction. Additionally, we found the SEACIT complex becomes destabilized in vps501Δsea1Δ cells, which resulted in aberrant endosomal TORC1 activity and subsequent Atg13 hyperphosphorylation. We have also discovered that the vacuolar localization of Vps501 is dependent upon a direct interaction with Sea1 and a unique lipid binding specificity that is also required for its function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hsp70 is a well-conserved molecular chaperone involved in the folding, stabilization, and eventual degradation of many “client” proteins. Hsp70 is regulated by a suite of co-chaperone molecules that assist in Hsp70-client interaction and stimulate the intrinsic ATPase activity of Hsp70. While previous studies have shown the anticancer target ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is a client of Hsp70, the regulatory co-chaperones involved remain to be determined. To identify co-chaperone(s) involved in RNR activity, 28 yeast co-chaperone knockout mutants were screened for sensitivity to the RNR-perturbing agent Hydroxyurea. Ydj1, an important cytoplasmic Hsp70 co-chaperone was identified to be required for growth on HU. Ydj1 bound the RNR subunit Rnr2 and cells lacking Ydj1 showed a destabilized RNR complex. Suggesting broad conservation from yeast to human, HDJ2 binds R2B and regulates RNR stability in human cells. Perturbation of the Ssa1-Ydj1 interaction through mutation or Hsp70-HDJ2 via the small molecule 116-9e compromised RNR function, suggesting chaperone dependence of this novel role. Mammalian cells lacking HDJ2 were significantly more sensitive to RNR inhibiting drugs such as hydroxyurea, gemcitabine and triapine. Taken together, this work suggests a novel anticancer strategy-inhibition of RNR by targeting Hsp70 co-chaperone function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Yeast 5′ end resection factors Sgs1 and Exo1 mediate G1 DNA damage tolerance. [•] G1 activation of Rad53 after irradiation depends on 5′ end resection. [•] G1 DNA damage checkpoint requires both resection and chromatin modification. [•] Yeast G1 and G2/M DNA damage checkpoints are surprisingly similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The gene clusters of several glycopeptides contain genes that encode COG2120 domain zinc-dependent N-acetylglucosaminyl deacetylases. Recently, a COG2120 protein encoded in the chloroeremomycin gene cluster, Cep15, has been postulated to possess nucleotidyltransferase activity. Here, we demonstrate that Cep15 possesses no catalytic activity and does not have a clear role in chloroeremomycin biosynthesis. This result strongly suggests that cep15 and bal2 are evolutionary artifacts and may be pseudogenes. Comparative sequence analysis with the closely related active Orf2∗ deacetylase (teicoplanin biosynthesis) reveals an asparagine in place of a metal-binding histidine in the “pseudo-active site” of Cep15. Substitution of this histidine by asparagine in Orf2∗ abolishes deacetylase activity. Remarkably, the Cep15 N164H mutant is an active deacetylase. To our knowledge, this is the first example of reactivating an ancestral enzymatic role for a bacterial protein by point mutagenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone required for the activity of many of the most important regulatory proteins of eukaryotic cells (the Hsp90 ‘clients’). Vertebrates have two isoforms of cytosolic Hsp90, Hsp90α and Hsp90β. Hsp90β is expressed constitutively to a high level in most tissues and is generally more abundant than Hsp90α, whereas Hsp90α is stress-inducible and overexpressed in many cancerous cells. Expressed as the sole Hsp90 of yeast, human Hsp90α and Hsp90β are both able to provide essential Hsp90 functions. Activations of certain Hsp90 clients (heat shock transcription factor, v-src) were more efficient with Hsp90α, rather than Hsp90β, present in the yeast. In contrast, activation of certain other clients (glucocorticoid receptor; extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5 mitogen-activated protein kinase) was less affected by the human Hsp90 isoform present in these cells. Remarkably, whereas expression of Hsp90β as the sole Hsp90 of yeast rendered cells highly sensitive to the Hsp90 inhibitor radicicol, comparable expression of Hsp90α did not. This raises the distinct possibility that, also for mammalian systems, alterations to the Hsp90α/Hsp90β ratio (as with heat shock) might be a significant factor affecting cellular susceptibility to Hsp90 inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: [164 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Activation of protein kinase clients by the Hsp90 system is mediated by the cochaperone protein Cdc37. Cdc37 requires phosphorylation at Ser13, but little is known about the regulation of this essential posttranslational modification. We show that Ser13 of uncomplexed Cdc37 is phosphorylated in vivo, as well as in binary complex with a kinase (C-K), or in ternary complex with Hsp90 and kinase (H-C-K). Whereas pSer13-Cdc37 in the H-C-K complex is resistant to nonspecific phosphatases, it is efficiently dephosphorylated by the chaperone-targeted protein phosphatase 5 (PP5/Ppt1), which does not affect isolated Cdc37. We show that Cdc37 and PP5/Ppt1 associate in Hsp90 complexes in yeast and in human tumor cells, and that PP5/Ppt1 regulates phosphorylation of Ser13-Cdc37 in vivo, directly affecting activation of protein kinase clients by Hsp90-Cdc37. These data reveal a cyclic regulatory mechanism for Cdc37, in which its constitutive phosphorylation is reversed by targeted dephosphorylation in Hsp90 complexes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]