Structural visualization of the tubulin folding pathway directed by human chaperonin TRiC/CCT.

The ATP-dependent ring-shaped chaperonin TRiC/CCT is essential for cellular proteostasis. To uncover why some eukaryotic proteins can only fold with TRiC assistance, we reconstituted the folding of ß-tubulin using human prefoldin and TRiC. We find unstructured ß-tubulin is delivered by prefoldin to the open TRiC chamber followed by ATP-dependent chamber closure. Cryo-EM resolves four near-atomic-resolution structures containing progressively folded ß-tubulin intermediates within the closed TRiC chamber, culminating in native tubulin. This substrate folding pathway appears closely guided by site-specific interactions with conserved regions in the TRiC chamber. Initial electrostatic interactions between the TRiC interior wall and both the folded tubulin N domain and its C-terminal E-hook tail establish the native substrate topology, thus enabling C-domain folding. Intrinsically disordered CCT C termini within the chamber promote subsequent folding of tubulin's core and middle domains and GTP-binding. Thus, TRiC's chamber provides chemical and topological directives that shape the folding landscape of its obligate substrates.

The Chaperonin TRiC/CCT Associates with Prefoldin through a Conserved Electrostatic Interface Essential for Cellular Proteostasis.

Maintaining proteostasis in eukaryotic protein folding involves cooperation of distinct chaperone systems. To understand how the essential ring-shaped chaperonin TRiC/CCT cooperates with the chaperone prefoldin/GIMc (PFD), we integrate cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM), crosslinking-mass-spectrometry and biochemical and cellular approaches to elucidate the structural and functional interplay between TRiC/CCT and PFD. We find these hetero-oligomeric chaperones associate in a defined architecture, through a conserved interface of electrostatic contacts that serves as a pivot point for a TRiC-PFD conformational cycle. PFD alternates between an open "latched" conformation and a closed "engaged" conformation that aligns the PFD-TRiC substrate binding chambers. PFD can act after TRiC bound its substrates to enhance the rate and yield of the folding reaction, suppressing non-productive reaction cycles. Disrupting the TRiC-PFD interaction in vivo is strongly deleterious, leading to accumulation of amyloid aggregates. The supra-chaperone assembly formed by PFD and TRiC is essential to prevent toxic conformations and ensure effective cellular proteostasis.

Structural and functional dissection of reovirus capsid folding and assembly by the prefoldin-TRiC/CCT chaperone network.

Intracellular protein homeostasis is maintained by a network of chaperones that function to fold proteins into their native conformation. The eukaryotic TRiC chaperonin (TCP1-ring complex, also called CCT for cytosolic chaperonin containing TCP1) facilitates folding of a subset of proteins with folding constraints such as complex topologies. To better understand the mechanism of TRiC folding, we investigated the biogenesis of an obligate TRiC substrate, the reovirus σ3 capsid protein. We discovered that the σ3 protein interacts with a network of chaperones, including TRiC and prefoldin. Using a combination of cryoelectron microscopy, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and biochemical approaches, we establish functions for TRiC and prefoldin in folding σ3 and promoting its assembly into higher-order oligomers. These studies illuminate the molecular dynamics of σ3 folding and establish a biological function for TRiC in virus assembly. In addition, our findings provide structural and functional insight into the mechanism by which TRiC and prefoldin participate in the assembly of protein complexes.

Symmetry-free cryo-EM structures of the chaperonin TRiC along its ATPase-driven conformational cycle.

The eukaryotic group II chaperonin TRiC/CCT is a 16-subunit complex with eight distinct but similar subunits arranged in two stacked rings. Substrate folding inside the central chamber is triggered by ATP hydrolysis. We present five cryo-EM structures of TRiC in apo and nucleotide-induced states without imposing symmetry during the 3D reconstruction. These structures reveal the intra- and inter-ring subunit interaction pattern changes during the ATPase cycle. In the apo state, the subunit arrangement in each ring is highly asymmetric, whereas all nucleotide-containing states tend to be more symmetrical. We identify and structurally characterize an one-ring closed intermediate induced by ATP hydrolysis wherein the closed TRiC ring exhibits an observable chamber expansion. This likely represents the physiological substrate folding state. Our structural results suggest mechanisms for inter-ring-negative cooperativity, intra-ring-positive cooperativity, and protein-folding chamber closure of TRiC. Intriguingly, these mechanisms are different from other group I and II chaperonins despite their similar architecture.

Control of the structural landscape and neuronal proteotoxicity of mutant Huntingtin by domains flanking the polyQ tract.

Many neurodegenerative diseases are linked to amyloid aggregation. In Huntington's disease (HD), neurotoxicity correlates with an increased aggregation propensity of a polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in exon 1 of mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt). Here we establish how the domains flanking the polyQ tract shape the mHtt conformational landscape in vitro and in neurons. In vitro, the flanking domains have opposing effects on the conformation and stabilities of oligomers and amyloid fibrils. The N-terminal N17 promotes amyloid fibril formation, while the C-terminal Proline Rich Domain destabilizes fibrils and enhances oligomer formation. However, in neurons both domains act synergistically to engage protective chaperone and degradation pathways promoting mHtt proteostasis. Surprisingly, when proteotoxicity was assessed in rat corticostriatal brain slices, either flanking region alone sufficed to generate a neurotoxic conformation, while the polyQ tract alone exhibited minimal toxicity. Linking mHtt structural properties to its neuronal proteostasis should inform new strategies for neuroprotection in polyQ-expansion diseases.

TRiC's tricks inhibit huntingtin aggregation.

In Huntington's disease, a mutated version of the huntingtin protein leads to cell death. Mutant huntingtin is known to aggregate, a process that can be inhibited by the eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC (TCP1-ring complex) in vitro and in vivo. A structural understanding of the genesis of aggregates and their modulation by cellular chaperones could facilitate the development of therapies but has been hindered by the heterogeneity of amyloid aggregates. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and single particle cryo-electron tomography (SPT) we characterize the growth of fibrillar aggregates of mutant huntingtin exon 1 containing an expanded polyglutamine tract with 51 residues (mhttQ51), and resolve 3-D structures of the chaperonin TRiC interacting with mhttQ51. We find that TRiC caps mhttQ51 fibril tips via the apical domains of its subunits, and also encapsulates smaller mhtt oligomers within its chamber. These two complementary mechanisms provide a structural description for TRiC's inhibition of mhttQ51 aggregation in vitro. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00710.001.

The molecular architecture of the eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC/CCT.

TRiC/CCT is a highly conserved and essential chaperonin that uses ATP cycling to facilitate folding of approximately 10% of the eukaryotic proteome. This 1 MDa hetero-oligomeric complex consists of two stacked rings of eight paralogous subunits each. Previously proposed TRiC models differ substantially in their subunit arrangements and ring register. Here, we integrate chemical crosslinking, mass spectrometry, and combinatorial modeling to reveal the definitive subunit arrangement of TRiC. In vivo disulfide mapping provided additional validation for the crosslinking-derived arrangement as the definitive TRiC topology. This subunit arrangement allowed the refinement of a structural model using existing X-ray diffraction data. The structure described here explains all available crosslink experiments, provides a rationale for previously unexplained structural features, and reveals a surprising asymmetry of charges within the chaperonin folding chamber.

Cryo-EM structure of a group II chaperonin in the prehydrolysis ATP-bound state leading to lid closure.

Chaperonins are large ATP-driven molecular machines that mediate cellular protein folding. Group II chaperonins use their "built-in lid" to close their central folding chamber. Here we report the structure of an archaeal group II chaperonin in its prehydrolysis ATP-bound state at subnanometer resolution using single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Structural comparison of Mm-cpn in ATP-free, ATP-bound, and ATP-hydrolysis states reveals that ATP binding alone causes the chaperonin to close slightly with a ∼45° counterclockwise rotation of the apical domain. The subsequent ATP hydrolysis drives each subunit to rock toward the folding chamber and to close the lid completely. These motions are attributable to the local interactions of specific active site residues with the nucleotide, the tight couplings between the apical and intermediate domains within the subunit, and the aligned interactions between two subunits across the rings. This mechanism of structural changes in response to ATP is entirely different from those found in group I chaperonins.