Mistakes are part of our world and constantly occurring. Due to transcriptional and translational failures, genomic mutations or diverse stress conditions like oxidation or heat misfolded proteins are permanently produced in every compartment of the cell. As misfolded proteins in general lose their native function and tend to aggregate several cellular mechanisms have been evolved dealing with such potentially toxic protein species. Misfolded proteins are mostly recognized by chaperones on the basis of their exposed hydrophobic patches and, if unable to refold them to their native state, are targeted to proteolytic pathways. Most prominent are the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the autophagic vacuolar (lysosomal) system, eliminating misfolded proteins from the cellular environment. A major task of this quality control system is the specific recognition and separation of the misfolded from the correctly folded protein species and the folding intermediates, respectively, which are on the way to the correct folded state but exhibit properties of misfolded proteins. In this review we focus on the recognition process and subsequent degradation of misfolded proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome system in the different cell compartments of eukaryotic cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Ubiquitin-Proteasome System. Guest Editors: Thomas Sommer and Dieter H. Wolf.

Background: Superfluous subunits of protein complexes are degraded to avoid unwanted erroneous reactions. Results: A machinery consisting of Hsp70, Cdc48, and components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system eliminates orphan fatty acid synthase subunit Fas2. Conclusion: Chaperone motors and the ubiquitin-proteasome system balance the homeostasis of the fatty acid synthase complex. Significance: Selective proteolysis is a tool to regulate protein complex stoichiometry.

Most misfolded cytosolic proteins in the cell are eliminated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In yeast, polyubiquitination of misfolded cytosolic proteins is triggered mainly by the action of two ubiquitin ligases Ubr1, formerly discovered as recognition component of the N-end rule pathway, and the nuclear ubiquitin ligase San1. For San1-mediated targeting to proteasomal degradation, cytosolic proteins have to be imported into the nucleus. Selection of misfolded substrates for import into the nucleus had remained elusive. This study shows that an increasing molecular mass of substrates prevents nuclear San1-triggered proteasomal degradation but renders them susceptible to cytoplasmic Ubr1-triggered degradation.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae heat shock proteins Hsp31, Hsp32, Hsp33 and Hsp34 belong to the DJ-1/ThiJ/PfpI superfamily which includes the human protein DJ-1 (PARK7) as the most prominent member. Mutations in the DJ-1 gene are directly linked to autosomal recessive, early-onset Parkinson’s disease. DJ-1 acts as an oxidative stress-induced chaperone preventing aggregation and fibrillation of α-synuclein, a critical factor in the development of the disease. In vivo assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the model substrate ΔssCPY*Leu2myc (ΔssCL*myc) as an aggregation-prone misfolded cytoplasmic protein revealed an influence of the Hsp31 chaperone family on the steady state level of this substrate. In contrast to the ubiquitin ligase of the N-end rule pathway Ubr1, which is known to be prominently involved in the degradation process of misfolded cytoplasmic proteins, the absence of the Hsp31 chaperone family does not impair the degradation of newly synthesized misfolded substrate. Also degradation of substrates with strong affinity to Ubr1 like those containing the type 1 N-degron arginine is not affected by the absence of the Hsp31 chaperone family. Epistasis analysis indicates that one function of the Hsp31 chaperone family resides in a pathway overlapping with the Ubr1-dependent degradation of misfolded cytoplasmic proteins. This pathway gains relevance in late growth phase under conditions of nutrient limitation. Additionally, the Hsp31 chaperones seem to be important for maintaining the cellular Ssa Hsp70 activity which is important for Ubr1-dependent degradation.

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