pH-regulated chaperone function of cyanobacterial Hsp90 and Hsp70: implications for light/dark regulation

We have shown that cyanobacterial chaperonins have pH-dependent anti-aggregation activity. The pH in cyanobacterial cytosol increases by one pH unit following a shift from darkness to light. In this study, we examined whether other major chaperones such as Hsp90 (HtpG) and Hsp70 (DnaK2) from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 also display pH-dependent activity. Suppressing aggregation of various heat-denatured proteins, especially lactate dehydrogenase, at an equimolar ratio of cyanobacterial Hsp90 to protein substrate was found to be pH-dependent. Hsp90 showed the highest activity at pH 8.5 over the examined pH range of 7.0 to 8.5. pH affected the anti-aggregation activity of DnaK2 in a similar manner to that of Hsp90 in the presence of half equimolar DnaK2 to the protein substrate. The ATPase activity of cyanobacterial Hsp90 was pH-dependent, with a fourfold increase in activity when the pH was raised from 7.0 to 8.5. The ATPase activity of DnaK2 was also regulated by pH in a similar manner. Finally, an increase in pH from 7.0 to 8.5 enhanced activities of both Hsp90 and Hsp70 in protein-folding assistance by two- to threefold. These results suggest that changes in pH may regulate chaperone function during a light-dark cycle in cyanobacterial cells.