The Pih1-Tah1 cochaperone complex inhibits Hsp90 molecular chaperone ATPase activity

Hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) is an ATP-dependent molecular chaperone regulated by collaborating proteins called cochaperones. This machinery is involved in the conformational activation of client proteins like signaling kinases, transcription factors, or ribonucleoproteins (RNP) such as telomerase. TPR (TetratricoPeptide Repeat)-containing protein associated with Hsp90 (Tah1) and protein interacting with Hsp90 (Pih1) have been identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as two Hsp90 cochaperones involved in chromatin remodeling complexes and small nucleolar RNP maturation. Tah1 possesses a minimal TPR domain and binds specifically to the Hsp90 C terminus, whereas Pih1 displays no homology to other protein motifs and has been involved in core RNP protein interaction. While Pih1 alone was unstable and was degraded from its N terminus, we showed that Pih1 and Tah1 form a stable heterodimeric complex that regulates Hsp90 ATPase activity. We used different biophysical approaches such as analytical ultracentrifugation, microcalorimetry, and noncovalent mass spectrometry to characterize the Pih1-Tah1 complex and its interaction with Hsp90. We showed that the Pih1-Tah1 heterodimer binds to Hsp90 with a similar affinity and the same stoichiometry as Tah1 alone. However, the Pih1-Tah1 complex antagonizes Tah1 activity on Hsp90 and inhibits the chaperone ATPase activity. We further identified the region within Pih1 responsible for interaction with Tah1 and inhibition of Hsp90, allowing us to suggest an interaction model for the Pih1-Tah1/Hsp90 complex. These results, together with previous reports, suggest a role for the Pih1-Tah1 cochaperone complex in the recruitment of client proteins such as core RNP proteins to Hsp90.