Interrelation between protein synthesis, proteostasis and life span.

The production of newly synthesized proteins is a key process of protein homeostasis that initiates the biosynthetic flux of proteins and thereby determines the composition, stability and functionality of the proteome. Protein synthesis is highly regulated on multiple levels to adapt the proteome to environmental and physiological challenges such as aging and proteotoxic conditions. Imbalances of protein folding conditions are sensed by the cell that then trigger a cascade of signaling pathways aiming to restore the protein folding equilibrium. One regulatory node to rebalance proteostasis upon stress is the control of protein synthesis itself. Translation is reduced as an immediate response to perturbations of the protein folding equilibrium that can be observed in the cytosol as well as in the organelles such as the endoplasmatic reticulum and mitochondria. As reduction of protein synthesis is linked to life span increase, the signaling pathways regu-lating protein synthesis might be putative targets for treatments of age-related diseases. Eukaryotic cells have evolved a complex system for protein synthesis regulation and this review will summarize cellular strategies to regulate mRNA translation upon stress and its impact on longevity.

The nascent polypeptide-associated complex is a key regulator of proteostasis.

The adaptation of protein synthesis to environmental and physiological challenges is essential for cell viability. Here, we show that translation is tightly linked to the protein-folding environment of the cell through the functional properties of the ribosome bound chaperone NAC (nascent polypeptide-associated complex). Under non-stress conditions, NAC associates with ribosomes to promote translation and protein folding. When proteostasis is imbalanced, NAC relocalizes from a ribosome-associated state to protein aggregates in its role as a chaperone. This results in a functional depletion of NAC from the ribosome that diminishes translational capacity and the flux of nascent proteins. Depletion of NAC from polysomes and re-localisation to protein aggregates is observed during ageing, in response to heat shock and upon expression of the highly aggregation-prone polyglutamine-expansion proteins and Aß-peptide. These results demonstrate that NAC has a central role as a proteostasis sensor to provide the cell with a regulatory feedback mechanism in which translational activity is also controlled by the folding state of the cellular proteome and the cellular response to stress.

Metazoan Hsp70 machines use Hsp110 to power protein disaggregation.

Accumulation of aggregation-prone misfolded proteins disrupts normal cellular function and promotes ageing and disease. Bacteria, fungi and plants counteract this by solubilizing and refolding aggregated proteins via a powerful cytosolic ATP-dependent bichaperone system, comprising the AAA+ disaggregase Hsp100 and the Hsp70-Hsp40 system. Metazoa, however, lack Hsp100 disaggregases. We show that instead the Hsp110 member of the Hsp70 superfamily remodels the human Hsp70-Hsp40 system to efficiently disaggregate and refold aggregates of heat and chemically denatured proteins in vitro and in cell extracts. This Hsp110 effect relies on nucleotide exchange, not on ATPase activity, implying ATP-driven chaperoning is not required. Knock-down of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Hsp110, but not an unrelated nucleotide exchange factor, compromises dissolution of heat-induced protein aggregates and severely shortens lifespan after heat shock. We conclude that in metazoa, Hsp70-Hsp40 powered by Hsp110 nucleotide exchange represents the crucial disaggregation machinery that reestablishes protein homeostasis to counteract protein unfolding stress.

Substrate recognition and processing by a Walker B mutant of the human mitochondrial AAA+ protein CLPX.

The mitochondrial matrix of mammalian cells contains several different ATP-dependent proteases, including CLPXP, some of which contribute to protein maturation and quality control. Currently however, the substrates and the physiological roles of mitochondrial CLPXP in humans, has remained elusive. Similarly, the mechanism by which these ATP-dependent proteases recognize their substrates currently remains unclear. Here we report the characterization of a Walker B mutation in human CLPX, in which the highly conserved glutamate was replaced with alanine. This mutant protein exhibits improved interaction with the model unfolded substrate casein and several putative physiological substrates in vitro. Although this mutant lacks ATPase activity, it retains the ability to mediate casein degradation by hCLPP, in a fashion similar to the small molecule ClpP-activator, ADEP. Our functional dissection of hCLPX structure, also identified that most model substrates are recognized by the N-terminal domain, although some substrates bypass this step and dock, directly to the pore-1 motif. Collectively these data reveal, that despite the difference between bacterial and human CLPXP complexes, human CLPXP exhibits a similar mode of substrate recognition and is deregulated by ADEPs.

Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to study intercompartmental proteostasis: Interrelation of mitochondrial function, longevity, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The protein quality control system, composed of molecular chaperones and proteases, is of vital importance for the maintenance and function of the proteome and the health of the cell. To achieve this, the cellular proteostasis network integrates the protein folding machinery across all compartments of the eukaryotic cell to enable efficient communication and coordinate a rapid response of folding capacity. Quality control in the mitochondria, however, differs from its cytosolic counterpart due to its prokaryotic origin, and is entirely encoded by the nuclear genome. The control and regulatory cross-talk of mitochondrial function in cellular proteostasis is essential for cellular metabolism, organismal development, and lifespan. Consequently, mitochondrial dysfunction has dramatic effects on the development and progression of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Friedreich's ataxia and Parkinson's disease. Studies using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system have greatly contributed to our current knowledge of inter-compartmental proteostasis on the cellular and organismal levels.

Peptides signal mitochondrial stress.

The unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)) rebalances mitochondrial protein homeostasis upon proteotoxic perturbations. Haynes et al. (2010) show that this retrograde stress signal is based on efflux of peptides derived from damaged proteins from the mitochondrial matrix to the cytosol; this initiates downstream protective responses in the nucleus to restore cellular balance.