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Functional Contributions of Prefoldin to Gene Expression
Laura Payán-Bravo1,2, Xenia Peñate1,2, Sebastián Chávez3,4
1Insitituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC-Hospital Universitario V. del Rocío, Seville, Spain.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|November 29, 2018
Summary
Prefoldin, a vital co-chaperone, assists in protein folding and prevents aggregation. Its role extends beyond the cytoplasm, influencing gene expression in the nucleus, highlighting its diverse functions.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Prefoldin is a conserved co-chaperone originating in archaea and present in all eukaryotes.
- It facilitates substrate delivery to class II chaperonins for protein folding, notably actin and tubulin.
- Prefoldin also aids in assembling other cellular complexes, prevents protein aggregation, and promotes degradation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the functional involvement of prefoldin in gene expression.
- To discuss the implications for the structure-function relationship of prefoldin.
- To explore the role of prefoldin and prefoldin-like complexes in nuclear functions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on prefoldin function.
- Analysis of studies investigating prefoldin's role in cytoplasmic and nuclear processes.
- Comparative analysis of prefoldin across different organisms and its association with gene regulation.
Main Results:
- Prefoldin's function extends beyond cytoskeleton assembly to include nuclear gene expression.
- Prefoldin subunits are found in the nucleus and associated with gene regulation in yeast and metazoans.
- Plant prefoldin has been identified in the nucleus and linked to gene regulators.
Conclusions:
- Prefoldin plays a significant, multifaceted role in cellular processes, including protein folding and gene expression.
- The diversification of prefoldin subunits has led to specialized prefoldin-like complexes with distinct functions.
- Further research into prefoldin's nuclear functions can elucidate its structure-function relationship and its broader impact on cellular regulation.
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