A structural vista of phosducin-like PhLP2A-chaperonin TRiC cooperation during the ATP-driven folding cycle

Proper cellular proteostasis, essential for viability, requires a network of chaperones and cochaperones. ATP-dependent chaperonin TRiC/CCT partners with cochaperones prefoldin (PFD) and phosducin-like proteins (PhLPs) to facilitate the folding of essential eukaryotic proteins. Using cryoEM and biochemical analyses, we determine the ATP-driven cycle of TRiC-PFD-PhLP2A interaction. In the open TRiC state, PhLP2A binds to the chamber's equator while its N-terminal H3-domain binds to the apical domains of CCT3/4, thereby displacing PFD from TRiC. ATP-induced TRiC closure rearranges the contacts of PhLP2A domains within the closed chamber. In the presence of substrate, actin and PhLP2A segregate into opposing chambers, each binding to the positively charged inner surfaces formed by CCT1/3/6/8. Notably, actin induces a conformational change in PhLP2A, causing its N-terminal helices to extend across the inter-ring interface to directly contact a hydrophobic groove in actin. Our findings reveal an ATP-driven PhLP2A structural rearrangement cycle within the TRiC chamber to facilitate folding.