The FNIP co-chaperones decelerate the Hsp90 chaperone cycle and enhance drug binding

Nat Commun. 2016 Jun 29:7:12037. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12037.

Abstract

Heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90) is an essential molecular chaperone in eukaryotes involved in maintaining the stability and activity of numerous signalling proteins, also known as clients. Hsp90 ATPase activity is essential for its chaperone function and it is regulated by co-chaperones. Here we show that the tumour suppressor FLCN is an Hsp90 client protein and its binding partners FNIP1/FNIP2 function as co-chaperones. FNIPs decelerate the chaperone cycle, facilitating FLCN interaction with Hsp90, consequently ensuring FLCN stability. FNIPs compete with the activating co-chaperone Aha1 for binding to Hsp90, thereby providing a reciprocal regulatory mechanism for chaperoning of client proteins. Lastly, downregulation of FNIPs desensitizes cancer cells to Hsp90 inhibitors, whereas FNIPs overexpression in renal tumours compared with adjacent normal tissues correlates with enhanced binding of Hsp90 to its inhibitors. Our findings suggest that FNIPs expression can potentially serve as a predictive indicator of tumour response to Hsp90 inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Molecular Chaperones / physiology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Carrier Proteins
  • FILIP1L protein, human
  • FLCN protein, human
  • FNIP1 protein, human
  • FNIP2 protein, human
  • HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins