Structure of a AAA+ unfoldase in the process of unfolding substrate

Abstract

AAA+ unfoldases are thought to unfold substrate through the central pore of their hexameric structures, but how this process occurs is not known. VAT, the Thermoplasma acidophilum homologue of eukaryotic CDC48/p97, works in conjunction with the proteasome to degrade misfolded or damaged proteins. We show that in the presence of ATP, VAT with its regulatory N-terminal domains removed unfolds other VAT complexes as substrate. We captured images of this transient process by electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the structure of the substrate-bound intermediate. Substrate binding breaks the six-fold symmetry of the complex, allowing five of the six VAT subunits to constrict into a tight helix that grips an ~80 Å stretch of unfolded protein. The structure suggests a processive hand-over-hand unfolding mechanism, where each VAT subunit releases the substrate in turn before re-engaging further along the target protein, thereby unfolding it.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25754.001

eLife digest

Proteins perform many important jobs inside cells. Each protein is made of a chain of building blocks called amino acids that fold together to form precise shapes. Old, damaged or poorly constructed proteins tend to be harmful to cells so it is important that they are recycled. Ring-shaped enzymes called AAA+ unfoldases help to recycle these proteins by unfolding their amino acid chains. However, since these enzymes only interact with their target proteins for a short time it has been difficult to find out what happens when the target protein binds to the enzyme.

AAA+ unfoldases use chemical energy provided by a molecule called ATP to drive protein unfolding. Ripstein et al. used a technique called electron cryomicroscopy to study a AAA+ unfoldase from a microbe called Thermoplasma acidophilum. The enzymes were supplied with a molecule called ATPγS, which is similar to ATP but releases its energy more slowly. Ripstein et al. used this slowed down reaction, as well as new computer algorithms to analyse the microscopy images, to examine the structure of the target bound to the enzyme.

The experiments show that proteins move through the centre of the enzyme’s ring as they unfold. At any time the enzyme is attached to the amino acid chain of the target protein in several places, which allows it to pull the protein through the ring in a “hand-over-hand” motion. Energy from each ATP molecule drives the enzyme to release one contact with the amino acid chain and form a new contact slightly further along the chain.

It remains unclear how AAA+ unfoldases identify and bind to the proteins they unfold and how they work alongside other recycling proteins inside cells. AAA+ unfoldases have an essential role in the biology of cells, and contribute to cancer and several other human diseases. Therefore, understanding how these proteins work may aid the development of new drugs to treat these diseases.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25754.002