Hsp70 Binding to the N-terminal Domain of Hsp104 Regulates [PSI] Curing by Hsp104 Overexpression

Hsp104 propagates the yeast prion [PSI], the infectious form of Sup35, by severing the prion seeds, but when Hsp104 is overexpressed, it cures [PSI] in a process that is not yet understood but may be caused by trimming, which removes monomers from the ends of the amyloid fibers. This curing was shown to depend on both the N-terminal domain of Hsp104 and the expression level of various members of the Hsp70 family, which raises the question as to whether these effects of Hsp70 are due to it binding to the Hsp70 binding site that was identified in the N-terminal domain of Hsp104, a site not involved in prion propagation. Investigating this question, we now find, first, that mutating this site prevents both the curing of [PSI] by Hsp104 overexpression and the trimming activity of Hsp104. Second, we find that depending on the specific member of the Hsp70 family binding to the N-terminal domain of Hsp104, both trimming and the curing caused by Hsp104 overexpression are either increased or decreased in parallel. Therefore, the binding of Hsp70 to the N-terminal domain of Hsp104 regulates both the rate of [PSI] trimming by Hsp104 and the rate of [PSI] curing by Hsp104 overexpression.