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Plasmodium falciparum heat shock protein 70 is able to suppress the thermosensitivity of an Escherichia coli DnaK mutant strain

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Abstract

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and heat shock protein 40 (Hsp40) are molecular chaperones that ensure that the proteins of the cell are properly folded and functional under both normal and stressful conditions. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is known to overproduce a heat shock protein 70 (PfHsp70) in response to thermal stress; however, the in vivo function of this protein still needs to be explored. Using in vivo complementation assays, we found that PfHsp70 was able to suppress the thermosensitivity of an Escherichia coli dnaK756 strain, but not that of the corresponding deletion strain (ΔdnaK52) or dnaK103 strain, which produces a truncated DnaK. Constructs were generated that encoded the ATPase domain of PfHsp70 fused to the substrate-binding domain (SBD) of E. coli DnaK (referred to as PfK), and the ATPase domain of E. coli DnaK coupled to the SBD of PfHsp70 (KPf). PfK was unable to suppress the thermosensitivity of any of the E. coli strains. In contrast, KPf was able to suppress the thermosensitivity in the E. coli dnaK756 strain. We also identified two key amino acid residues (V401 and Q402) in the linker region between the ATPase domain and SBD that are essential for the in vivo function of PfHsp70. This is the first example of an Hsp70 from a eukaryotic parasite that can suppress thermosensitivity in a prokaryotic system. In addition, our results also suggest that interdomain communication is critical for the function of the PfHsp70 and PfHsp70-DnaK chimeras. We discuss the implications of these data for the mechanism of action of the Hsp70-Hsp40 chaperone machinery.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by a Wellcome Trust Grant (066705; UK), a National Research Foundation Grant (NRF; Gun No: 2053542, NRF, SA) and a Medical Research Council (MRC) Grant, all awarded to GLB. AS was awarded a NRF MSc. Grant-Holder Bursary and an MSc. Scholarship from the Cannon Collins Educational Trust of Southern Africa. We wish to acknowledge Drs. B Bukau and M Mayer (University of Heidelberg) for providing the E. coli dnaK103, ΔdnaK52 and dnaK756 strains and Dr. W Burkholder (Stanford University) who provided the pQE60 and pBB46 plasmids. This work has been carried out in compliance with the laws governing genetic experimentation in South Africa.

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Addmore Shonhai, Aileen Boshoff & Gregory L. Blatch

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  1. Addmore Shonhai
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  2. Aileen Boshoff
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  3. Gregory L. Blatch
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Correspondence to Gregory L. Blatch.

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Communicated by W. Goebel

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Shonhai, A., Boshoff, A. & Blatch, G.L. Plasmodium falciparum heat shock protein 70 is able to suppress the thermosensitivity of an Escherichia coli DnaK mutant strain. Mol Genet Genomics 274, 70–78 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-005-1150-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-005-1150-9

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