Maintaining proteome health is important for cell survival. Nucleic acids possess the ability to prevent protein aggregation more efficiently than traditional chaperone proteins. In this study, we explore the sequence specificity of the chaperone activity of nucleic acids. Evaluating over 500 nucleic acid sequences' effects on protein aggregation, we show that the holdase chaperone effect of nucleic acids is sequence-dependent. G-Quadruplexes prevent protein aggregation via quadruplex:protein oligomerization. They also increase the folded protein level of a biosensor in E. coli. These observations contextualize recent reports of quadruplexes playing important roles in aggregation-related diseases, such as fragile X and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide evidence that nucleic acids have the ability to modulate the folding environment of E. coli.

Maintaining the health of the proteome is a critical cellular task. Recently, we found G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acids are especially potent at preventing protein aggregation in vitro and could at least indirectly improve the protein folding environment of Escherichia coli . However, the roles of G4s in protein folding were not yet explored. Here, through in vitro protein folding experiments, we discover that G4s can accelerate protein folding by rescuing kinetically trapped intermediates to both native and near-native folded states. Time-course folding experiments in E. coli further demonstrate that these G4s primarily improve protein folding quality in E. coli as opposed to preventing protein aggregation. The ability of a short nucleic acid to rescue protein folding opens up the possibility of nucleic acids and ATP-independent chaperones to play considerable roles in dictating the ultimate folding fate of proteins.

Maintaining the health of the proteome is a critical cellular task. Recently, we found G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acids are especially potent at preventing protein aggregation in vitro and could at least indirectly improve the protein folding environment of E. coli. However, the roles of G4s in protein folding were not yet explored. Here, through in vitro protein folding experiments, we discover that G4s can accelerate protein folding by rescuing kinetically trapped intermediates to both native and near-native folded states. Time-course folding experiments in E. coli further demonstrate that these G4s primarily improve protein folding quality in E. coli as opposed to preventing protein aggregation. The ability for a short nucleic acid to rescue protein folding opens up the possibility of nucleic acids and ATP-independent chaperones to play considerable roles in dictating the ultimate folding fate of proteins.