Co-chaperones containing tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains enable cooperation between Hsp70 and Hsp90 to maintain cellular proteostasis. Although the details of the molecular interactions between some TPR domains and heat shock proteins are known, we describe a novel mechanism by which Tomm34 interacts with and coordinates Hsp70 activities. In contrast to the previously defined Hsp70/Hsp90-organizing protein (Hop), Tomm34 interaction is dependent on the Hsp70 chaperone cycle. Tomm34 binds Hsp70 in a complex process; anchorage of the Hsp70 C terminus by the TPR1 domain is accompanied by additional contacts formed exclusively in the ATP-bound state of Hsp70 resulting in a high affinity entropically driven interaction. Tomm34 induces structural changes in determinants within the Hsp70-lid subdomain and modulates Hsp70/Hsp40-mediated refolding and Hsp40-stimulated Hsp70 ATPase activity. Because Tomm34 recruits Hsp90 through its TPR2 domain, we propose a model in which Tomm34 enables Hsp70/Hsp90 scaffolding and influences the Hsp70 chaperone cycle, providing an additional role for co-chaperones that contain multiple TPR domains in regulating protein homeostasis. Molecular & Cellular

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These data identify EGFR as a major target for ΔNp63 regulation that influences cancer cell adhesion in basal-like triple-negative breast cancer.

Interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) is a member of the HIN-200 protein family, containing two HIN domains and one PYRIN domain. IFI16 acts as a sensor of viral and bacterial DNA and is important for innate immune responses. IFI16 binds DNA and binding has been described to be DNA length-dependent, but a preference for supercoiled DNA has also been demonstrated. Here we report a specific preference of IFI16 for binding to quadruplex DNA compared to other DNA structures. IFI16 binds to quadruplex DNA with significantly higher affinity than to the same sequence in double stranded DNA. By circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy we also demonstrated the ability of IFI16 to stabilize quadruplex structures with quadruplex-forming oligonucleotides derived from human telomere (HTEL) sequences and the MYC promotor. A novel H/D exchange mass spectrometry approach was developed to assess protein interactions with quadruplex DNA. Quadruplex DNA changed the IFI16 deuteration profile in parts of the PYRIN domain (aa 0–80) and in structurally identical parts of both HIN domains (aa 271–302 and aa 586–617) compared to single stranded or double stranded DNAs, supporting the preferential affinity of IFI16 for structured DNA. Our results reveal the importance of quadruplex DNA structure in IFI16 binding and improve our understanding of how IFI16 senses DNA. IFI16 selectivity for quadruplex structure provides a mechanistic framework for IFI16 in immunity and cellular processes including DNA damage responses and cell proliferation.

Antibodies are indispensable tools for biomedicine and anticancer therapy. Nevertheless, their use is compromised by high production costs, limited stability, and difficulty of chemical modification. The design and preparation of synthetic polymer conjugates capable of replacing antibodies in biomedical applications such as ELISA, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, and immunoprecipitation is reported. The conjugates, named “iBodies”, consist of an HPMA copolymer decorated with low‐molecular‐weight compounds that function as targeting ligands, affinity anchors, and imaging probes. We prepared specific conjugates targeting several proteins with known ligands and used these iBodies for enzyme inhibition, protein isolation, immobilization, quantification, and live‐cell imaging. Our data indicate that this highly modular and versatile polymer system can be used to produce inexpensive and stable antibody substitutes directed toward virtually any protein of interest with a known ligand.