Hsp90 structure and function studied by NMR spectroscopy

The molecular chaperone Hsp90 plays a crucial role in folding and maturation of regulatory proteins. Key aspects of Hsp90's molecular mechanism and its adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP)-controlled active cycle remain elusive. In particular the role of conformational changes during the ATPase cycle and the molecular basis of the interactions with substrate proteins are poorly understood. The dynamic nature of the Hsp90 machine designates nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as an attractive method to unravel both the chaperoning mechanism and interaction with partner proteins. NMR is particularly suitable to provide a dynamic picture of protein–protein interactions at atomic resolution. Hsp90 is rather a challenging protein for NMR studies, due to its high molecular weight and its structural flexibility. The recent technologic advances allowed overcoming many of the traditional obstacles. Here, we describe the different approaches that allowed the investigation of Hsp90 using state-of-the-art NMR methods and the results that were obtained. NMR spectroscopy contributed to understanding Hsp90's interaction with the co-chaperones p23, Aha1 and Cdc37. A particular exciting prospect of NMR, however, is the analysis of Hsp90 interaction with substrate proteins. Here, the ability of this method to contribute to the structural characterization of not fully folded proteins becomes crucial. Especially the interaction of Hsp90 with one of its natural clients, the tumour suppressor p53, has been intensively studied by NMR spectroscopy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90).